Help me fall
by Lady-Nitefall
Summary: UPDATED: Chapter 11, includes Author'sNote: Jareth's right to rule the labyrinth is questioned. Now he must run the labyrinth himself in order to keep his kingdom, his only hope of getting to the end is Sarah. How far will she help him though?
1. chapter1

"Say you're right words...and we'll take the baby to the goblin city, and you will be free..." The small hunched person rasped, his face was a warty shade of green, his long knarled fingers twitched towards the cradle as he spoke.  
  
"I can bear it no longer!" The young woman lifted the child from the cradle and spun to turn her back on the white lace covered basket and the horrid creature standing next to it." Goblin king, goblin king, wherever you may be, take this child of mine far away from me!"  
  
There was a crash of thunder and the lights flickered. A set of double doors presumably leading to a balcony banged open showing a wall of fog that began to creep into the room.  
  
The young woman gasped, and curled the baby protectively against her, realizing her mistake. She took one slow step away from the tendrils of wispy fog, and then another.  
  
The Goblin King had arrived. A vague outline of a man moved behind the fog approaching the doorway. The young woman's eyes grew large with fear as she watched him step through the fog...  
  
And laughter erupted from the shadows as the noble king stepped into the room, wearing only a pair of black silk boxers, black leather knee high boots, and black leather gloves.  
  
"Derek!" The woman shrieked at him. She stomped her foot impatiently and tossed the swaddled bundle at him. The infant doll struck him in the chest and bounced to the hard wood floor of the stage. "This is supposed to be a dress rehearsal, why aren't you dressed?"  
  
Sarah stood in the back of the theater and watched the antics on stage for a moment longer before quietly slipping out of the large double doors.  
  
Once upon a time, she had dreamed of being up on that stage, playing the part of the heroine who goes through the trials set before her to rescue the child that she had wished away to the king of the goblins. She had wanted that right up until the time when she had gotten exactly what she asked for.  
  
It had been nine years since she had made her trip into the labyrinth to save her brother Toby from the Goblin king Jareth. Nine years, but it had seemed like a lot longer. She had changed a lot since that time, yet in other ways, she thinks she has hardly changed at all.  
  
She still kept in touch with Hoggle, quite often they would meet and talk for hours. Sarah had taken to keeping a tape recorder going for some of their conversations and she would later use some of the things they talked about as material for a novel. At the age of 24 she had already written six fantasy novels. Her last one had been released in hardcover and made it to the New York Times best seller's list.  
  
Sarah had been visiting an artist friend who was working on the stage setting for the current production this evening and was invited to stay for a bit of the rehearsals. The only problem had been that with her there, the cast had not been paying attention to the rehearsals they were supposed to be conducting and had instead opted to converse with her about different books and question her about what she was currently working on.  
  
When those questions had come up, she had dodged the issue saying that she couldn't say anything about the new novel because she didn't want to give anything away. The truth was that at the moment, she wasn't working on a single thing. She was taking some time off from writing and planned on enjoying it.  
  
She walked through the spring night air letting her mind wander. The winter had been harsh, with temperatures often dropping below freezing and keeping everyone huddled indoors to avoid the frost in the air. Spring had just recently arrived though, and while there was a coolness to the air that required a light jacket, the breeze that accompanied it was gentle and refreshing.  
  
Sarah's mind naturally wandered back to the play. Being politely curious, she had managed to look at one of the scripts. The play had made the incantation for summoning the goblin king the poetic lines that she had just heard. For this she was grateful. Although Hoggle had assured her that calling the Goblin King was actually a lot harder than just saying words, she was glad that the script hadn't called for the phrase of "I wish". Those two words, according to Hoggle, were the second most powerful words in the Underground.  
  
"What do you mean the second most powerful words?" She had sat on the living room floor across the coffee table from the little man, talking as they played a game that he referred to as stones.  
  
"Once, theys were the most powerful, till yous came along." He had told her.  
  
"Me? What do you mean."  
  
He pointed a finger at her accusingly, although there was a mischievous glint to his eye that let her know this was a matter that somewhat amused him. "Now, if you asks around the labyrinth, they'll tell you that the words that hold the most power to see something happen is 'that's not fair'. And it's all account a'you."  
  
Sarah had just blinked. "What?!" She remembered when she had gone into the labyrinth, fifteen years old and still sure that life should be fair and everyone had to play by the rules. Half way through, she had come to the realization that life wasn't fair, and that you had to deal with things the way they were, not how you wished them to be.  
  
"After yous came to the Labyrinth, one of the quickest ways to get on Jareth's bad side is by saying that's not fair." He had moved his stones along the board capturing a good quarter of her pieces along the way.  
  
Jareth. Just remembering the name brought him to mind. She remembered the first time she had seen him, standing in the door way, offering her whatever she dreamed. He had been dressed in black during that meeting, the perfect contrast for his blonde hair and pale complexion.  
  
"This is not a gift for an ordinary girl who takes care of a screaming baby."  
  
She had been awed by him, and more than a little scared. She hadn't believed it was really the king of the goblins that had swirled into the room from nowhere.  
  
"You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King. I want my brother back if it's all the same." She had been so young.  
  
"What's said is said."´ His voice, so condescending, it had irritated her, started to shake her out of the grip of wonder that she had fallen into.  
  
"I didn't mean it!"  
  
"It don't matter if you meant it, you believed it and that's what mattered." Hoggle's voice again. He had been explaining how she had managed to call on the Goblin King. Most people could not call on him anymore. Oh they could say the words, and they can even mean it, but if they don't believe that he'll show up, then he won't. She had always believed in magic, in things that didn't belong in this world. She hadn't meant the words she had said, but deep in her heart, she had believed in them enough to bring them to life.  
  
She neared the complex where her condo was located and shook the reminiscent thoughts from her mind. She still believed in magic. It was extremely hard not to when her most frequent visitors to her place were a dwarf, a small chivalrous fox, and a hulking monster, the likes of which is usually only seen by children in their closets. While they often came to visit her, she had never gone back to the labyrinth after she had made it to the center and took her brother back.  
  
Sometimes she regretted never going back there. Tonight was one of these nights. There were many things about the place that had been foreboding and intimidating. But then, they were supposed to be like that to frighten her into not continuing. She had been assured though that the entire land was not like that.  
  
Sir Didymus had spent much time traveling the lands in search of noble deeds to do before he had taken on his responsibility of guarding the bridge through the bog of eternal stench. Since the bridge had been destroyed when Sarah and her companions had tried to make their way across it, the energetic fox had taken his brave steed forward again into the lands. Ludo would often accompany his friend on these journeys. From the sounds of it, Ludo kept most of the real dangers from befalling Sir Didymus before he could get himself in trouble. While they were away though, they were not able to visit as often, and Sarah missed them.  
  
She slipped the key into the security door and let herself in. She walked up the brightly lit stairwell to the third floor and then let unlocked the door to her place. In the building, there were only four condominiums on each floor, with hers being on the top floor of the building. The place was bigger than she needed for herself, but she enjoyed having the extra room to rattle around in. There was no real sense of planned decoration to any of the rooms. Along the walls there were shelves filled with different figurines of fantasy creatures of all sizes and sorts. Carefully arranged on the wall of the room she used as a study were several madi-gras style masks. The living room had a large entertainment center housing many of the electronic gadgets that she had purchased, but seemed to seldom use. The couch and the chair in this room were overstuffed maroon suede, soft and comfortable enough for curling up in.  
  
Curled up in the living room chair, sleeping soundly, was a grey tabby cat. As Sarah flicked on the lights in the room, the cat lifted it's head. He glared at her to let her know that she had disturbed his sleep and yawned to let her know that he had fangs that would be used if she continued to displease him. Then he lay his head back down, his tail touching his nose and closed his eyes.  
  
Sarah half smiled at the sight. "Sorry to disturb you, your majesty." She said to him as she hung up her coat. Sometimes she worried that talking to her cat might be considered eccentric. Then she remembered that she often had long conversations with a fox who wasn't much bigger than the cat, and the fox talked back.  
  
She made her way to the kitchen, flipping on lights as she went. She wanted a cup of tea, a good movie, and to curl up on the couch until she was ready for bed. She admitted that it wasn't the most exciting of plans, but it was relaxing. She enjoyed the company of others, and often had friends over just to socialize, but she preferred to have the night time just to herself.  
  
Now she pulled a mug out of the cabinet and set the kettle of water to boil. She placed a tea bag in the mug and set the sugar container near by. Turning around, she leaned back against the counter top and froze. Someone had been there and apparently had left her a present. She continued to stare at the kitchen table until the kettle started it's high pitched whistle. She snapped back to her senses and shut the burner off. Moving slowly, feeling partly as if she were in a dream, she walked to the table.  
  
If any of her girlfriends had been there to see this, they would have squealed in delight. There would have been a barrage of questions, did she have a new boyfriend, who were they from, why hadn't she mentioned new activity in her rather boring love life. She was glad that she was alone. While the image might have been romantic, she felt a knot at the center of her stomach starting to form.  
  
Carefully arrange on the table were three concentric circles of star-gazer lilies. Each blossom appeared flawless, the colors rich and vibrant, each petal perfectly shaped. They had been laid with a precision that spoke of patience and control. In the center of the rings, sat one peach, as perfect in its own right as the lilies. 


	2. chapter2

The peach. Sarah hadn't eaten peaches since her trip to the Labyrinth. Jareth had given one to Hoggle to give to her that had been....tainted. She could still remember the fantasy that she had slipped into after eating the fruit. The crystalline ball gown, the mocking masquerade dancers. And of course, Jareth himself.  
  
She had sought him out among the revelers at the ball, but he had always managed to stay ahead of her, allowing her only a quick glimpse before he was gone again. Just as she had given up finding him, he was there. His eyes captured hers, and she was unaware of the distance between them disappearing. He was suddenly in front of her, one gloved hand moving to her waist to pull her into the dance. Without thinking about it, she let him guide her around the floor. She had never danced like that before, but in this dream state, she knew the steps as if she had learned to dance before learning to walk.  
  
Then the clock had begun to sound and the dream turned into a nightmare. She didn't want to leave this wonderful place, but knew that she must. She had pushed her way past masked faces that had become hostile, when she came to the side of the bubble she did the only thing she could think of, she shattered it.  
  
She wasn't sure if what happened had been real or just her fantasy. While part of her had hoped that it had been real, another part wanted for it to have been just a design of her mind. She didn't want Jareth to know that side of her, the side that liked the fancy ball, the elaborate hair and intricately styled hair. The way she had gotten caught up in the dance with him.  
  
Then another thought came to her. It couldn't have been Jareth that had left these for her to find. She wouldn't even speak his name out loud. She hadn't called on him, and since she had moved from the house she had grown up in with her father, she didn't think that he could know where she was. It must have been Hoggle. Yes, that was it. Hoggle had been trying to surprise her. After all, he was the one that actually handed the peach to her, and he knew that she had been feeling kind of depressed since she had broken up with her last boyfriend. He was probably just trying to cheer her up. Yes, that was it.  
  
Calming down, having rationalized things to her satisfaction, she got a vase out of the storage cabinet and spent the next few minutes busying herself with arranging the lilies. She didn't touch the peach. She set the vase on the table, then finished making her cup of tea.  
  
Instead of going back to the living room, she took her tea into work room. While she had not planned on doing any actual writing, she thought that taking some time to get the notes in order that she had already taken for her next book would keep her mind occupied.  
  
The work room had a large mahogany desk on which sat her computer, printer and a set of writer's reference books. This is where she would sit, in her large black leather chair, feet tucked up under her, as she let the words roll off her fingers and through the keyboard onto the screen.. This wasn't where she did most of her work though.  
  
In the corner of the room stood a vanity table and mirror. A bench sat in front of it with a brocaded cushion. One side of the table she had a silver tray with her brush, some base cosmetics, and some perfumes on it. On the other side of the table was a notebook and a cup full of her favorite pens.  
  
It was here that she often did most of her work. In front of the mirror where as a teenager she would watch herself as she practiced for the high drama roles she planned on staring in one day. Somehow, looking at things through that mirror made everything seem different, it seemed to make the world around her less real, and she could submerge her mind into the fantasy that she was creating.  
  
Now she sat in front of the mirror and flipped through the notebook looking over her latest notes. She shuffled them around a little bit, not really accomplishing anything, but at least doing a good job of trying to convince herself that she was. After a few minutes, she set the notebook back to the side and looked into the mirror. She focused on her own image and let the reflection of the world around her blur. As well as helping her write, this was an exercise that also helped her to simply clear her mind. She emptied her mind of all thoughts and simply let herself drift.  
  
There was movement behind her in the mirror. This brought her snapping back to focus and spinning around. She automatically reached out to grab something to defend herself. She stood, facing the door, her brush in hand holding it out to ward off the intruder. Her own thoughts laughed at her.  
  
It was Jareth. He stood leaning in the door way, arms folded across his chest silently watching her. He looked just as she remembered him, his white gold hair was a wild mane around his face. High arched eyebrows over mismatched eyes and a complexion that seemed to shimmer in the soft light of the room. His lips were curled up in the barest hint of a mocking smile.  
  
"Sarah, is this any way to treat an old friend?" She swore she saw him fighting not to laugh as she brandished the brush in his direction.  
  
"Friend? The last time I saw you, you had stolen my brother and wanted to turn him into a goblin. Last I checked, that wasn't something friends did."  
  
"You wished for me to take him, and I never said that he would be turned into a goblin."  
  
"Yes you did, you said..."  
  
He interrupted her, standing straight up and stepping further into the room. "What I said was that you had thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth or your brother would become one of us forever. I never said that meant a Goblin."  
  
"But you're the goblin king, wouldn't that make him..."  
  
His laugh was mocking. "Yes, I am the king of the goblins, yet do I look like a goblin to you? And what of those charming little friends of yours. Are they goblins? There are many more types of people in the Underground than just the Goblins."  
  
For a moment, he sounded almost angry and Sarah started to apologize for upsetting him. Then she remembered that he had invited himself into her house without asking, so she should be the one who was upset here.  
  
She put the brush back on the vanity table and reminded herself that she had faced him down before. She stood up straight and pushed a lock of long dark hair over her shoulder. "Look, why don't you just tell me why you're here so that way you can go away?" Arms folded over her chest, she gave him her best look of impatience that she could manage. This was not an easy task as her stomach reminded her of how intimidating he could be.  
  
His eyes narrowed as they met hers. He walked forward slowly as if he were stalking her. He saw the way that she tensed as he approached, the set of her jaw, how she squared her shoulder refusing to back down to him. A thousand ways to answer that question came to mind, but none had to do with the actual reason for him to come looking for this insolent whelp that had once defeated him. A sensation that he was not used to started to eat away at his mind. Doubt. He was no longer certain that he should be here. He thought that if he did tell her why he had come here, that she would once again refuse him. She would deny him once more and he didn't think he could deal with that rejection, not when he had so much to deal with at the moment.  
  
He sighed, taking a step back to give her more space. "I don't think it matters why I'm here. I'll just go ahead and go away as you say."  
  
He turned to head toward the door and Sarah though she heard him muttering something that sounded like, "I should have known better.......a waste of precious time...never get it back." There was a tenseness to him that she hadn't bothered to see before, as if he were walking into the lions pit and expected the lion to win.  
  
Then he was out the door and turned to stride down the hallway. She heard his voice through the apartment. "That's it, we're leaving."  
  
Another answered him, one that was much more familiar. "But...?"  
  
"Now, Hedgewort! Or is that to complicated for you?"  
  
"eh, yes Jareth!"  
  
Sarah blinked and hurried out of the room just in time to see two figures disappearing. Jareth, and a much smaller form. She caught sight of a red lather cap, big bushy eyebrows over large blue eyes, and a well worn face that looked back at her guiltily right before he vanished.  
  
"Hoggle?"  
  
Hoggle had brought Jareth here to her home. He knew that she hadn't wanted to see him again. She knew that he had about as much love for the Goblin king as a mouse had for a cat. So why he would lead Jareth here, she couldn't figure out.  
  
"Hoggle?" She called again, expecting him to answer, only he failed to appear. "Hoggle, I need you." This phrase, the words that she had promised to say if she were ever in need of her friends, had never before failed to summon the dwarf. This time, he stoutly refused to appear.  
  
After several minutes of waiting, sat down on the couch, worry starting to grow in her mind. "Oh, Hoggle, what have you gotten into?" 


	3. chapter3

"Cor, she's calling me again. I ain't never ignored 'er before." The old dwarf stared off to the side his eyes focused on nothing.  
  
"Then go to her." Jareth, usually so confidant and sure of himself now sat leaning against the outer door of the labyrinth with his head back and eyes closed. His voice was low, as if he could not summon enough enthusiasm to bark out his commands as normal.  
  
"Look, Jareth, you need to go back and..." Hoggle swallowed a knot of fear as Jareth snapped forward like a tightly wound spring.  
  
"I will not have you telling me what I should or should not do, and you will address me as your majesty, can you understand this or do I need to use smaller words?" he snarled at him.  
  
"I ain't gonna do no such thing." Hoggle wasn't sure where he managed to find the courage to shout back at the man who could send him headlong into the bog of eternal stench. "Seems like you've already given up, so I don't gotta call you nuthin, Jareth." He placed one hand one his hip, one stubby finger of his other hand pointing at the taller man admonishingly. "You was the one that wanted to go see her, the least ya coulda done is say why."  
  
Jareth narrowed his eyes and stalked forward towards the little man. Hoggle backed up a pace until his back was against the wall of the Labyrinth. "What do you mean, given up? What do you know, Hoggle?" His voice was low and dangerous.  
  
Hoggle wished that Jareth had messed up his name again. At least when he was calling him by the wrong name, it meant he wasn't focused on him enough for him to be in trouble. While he was at it, he also wished that he had kept his mouth shut. But you can't change the past. "I knows what I knows is all." He mumbled. "There was a fella' came 'round earlier before I sees you. Said that you and he had a bit o' a wager, and that if you lost, he'd be king of the labyrinth. He said there was no way that you would win, but if anyone helped you to fail, they'd be treated with a reward." He almost continued, but figured that was all he really needed to know so he decided to take his earlier wish now and kept his mouth shut.  
  
"So, he was trying to make me fail already...." Jareth stepped away, his face clouding over with thought. "Go back to her Hoggle. Talk to Sarah. She will listen to you. Tell her.....tell her I want to make a request of her this time, and that I will be willing to compensate her for her time."  
  
Hoggle had a fair idea that Jareth wanted to ask for Sarah's help, although he would never phrase it quite that way. The goblin king needed no help, especially from little mortal girls. Still, Hoggle thought that he could talk to Sarah, and at least get her to agree to talk to the Goblin King again. It was worth the shot. "Fine, I'll go talk ta the lil' miss and see if she'll talk to you. If she don't though, I ain't gonna ask her again. You shoulda' asked her in the first place."  
  
He knew he was walking a dangerous line being so flippant with the goblin king, but he figured he was in deep enough already, and he liked the feeling of standing up to the bully, although he was not quite brave enough to wait around for Jareth's reaction. Before Jareth could do or say anything, Hoggle had gone back to talk with Sarah.  
  
Sarah stretched out on the couch watching images flicker across the TV. She couldn't really claim to be watching the program, as her mind refused to pay attention to what was happening. For now though it was movement and sound that filled in the quietness of the room.  
  
She had moved the vase with the lilies to the coffee table where they currently sat right at the edge of her vision. Why had he come here? And why leave her the peach, was he mocking her?  
  
Of course he was mocking me, she thought. Does that man know how to do anything else? The arrogant, self absorbed, pompous...  
  
"I know you're mad at me, and you gots good reason, but I had good reason to bring 'im here too." Hoggle was standing at the end of the couch, his eyes cast glumly down at the floor. He had always hated doing anything that might upset her, and it was evident in the guilt written on his face.  
  
"Hoggle!" Sarah scrambled off the couch landing on her knees next to him and grabbing him a giant bear hug. "Oh you're alright! Did he hurt you? What did he say? If he threatened you again, I'll...."  
  
Hoggle jumped a bit as she hugged him. He had been sure that she was going to yell at him. Well, he knew she was going to, he just didn't expect to be hugged first. "He ain't done nuthin' to me, and I even stood up to him before coming back here" His gruff voice held just a tinge of pride at that.  
  
"I'm glad, it's about time." She leaned back, taking his hand and pulling him over to the couch. "Sit down then and tell me, what did he do to make you bring him here."  
  
Hoggle took a moment to climb up onto the couch and comfortable with his legs stretched out, feet just barely over the edge of the cushion. "Well.....ya see....he didn't really do anything...he just....sorta.....asked."  
  
Sarah stared at him, letting the words and realization that went with them sink in. "You mean, he didn't do anything, you just LET him come here? Hoggle! Why would you do that? You know I didn't want him to even know where I was. How could you?" She stood up and walked across the living room, turning to face him with her arms crossed over her chest as she spoke."  
  
Hoggle took off his cap and absently wrung it in his hands. He still couldn't quite look at her. "It's complicated Sarah. Ya sees, Jareth....he's needing help, and....I know how you feel for him, but I thought, maybe....just maybe, you could help."  
  
"What?"  
  
"See, there's this fella, don' quite know his name, but.....he's trying to take the labyrinth from Jareth. Jareth is a mean bully, but this guy..." He couldn't suppress a shiver. "He's evil, Sarah."  
  
Sarah frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"This fella, he came by earlier, before I saw Jareth. He was tellin' people that he and Jareth had a wager, one Jareth couldn't win. Jareth is going to have to run the labyrinth himself. He said any that got in Jareth's way would be rightly rewarded. And he said that any that helped Jareth would be..." He trailed off.  
  
"Would be what, Hoggle?"  
  
"Jareth's cruel. If ya annoy him, you end up in the bog." His voice dropped to a whisper. "But at least yous still alive." He cleared his throat and finally looked up at her. "Ya remember the firey's?"  
  
She nodded mutely.  
  
"They ain't never liked people telling them what's they to do. And they said they just might help Jareth. And this fella....he some how shredded 'em. Soon everyone knew what's he had done. And no one else wanted to mess with him."  
  
Sarah moved back over to the couch. "Hoggle, Jareth isn't going to let anyone take the Labyrinth from him. I'm sure that he knows it backwards and forwards. You won't have to worry about this guy."  
  
He shook his head. "It's differn'. He's out to show he can control the labyrinth better than Jareth. He's re-orderin' it. It's gonna be dangerous. When yous was there, there weren't nuthin' that could really hurt ya. This time, there will be. And another thing, you made it through cause you had me and Ludo and Didymus. No one else ever made it to the center, because no one else ever had help. You can't do it alone. That's the trick of it."  
  
Sarah was angry. "But he's already made it so no one will help Jareth. That's not fair!"  
  
Hoggle smirked. "What'd you been told about saying that missy? Of course it ain't fair, but he don't have to play fair."  
  
"So you want me to go and help him get through this new labyrinth?"  
  
"Sorta. I tol' him that I'd talk to you, and see if you'd listen to him. He's gotta ask you himself for help. If he don't then he ain't as serious about this as he needs ta be. Make him ask ya Sarah." He slid off the couch and pulled his cap back over his head.  
  
"What about you Hoggle?" She took both of his hands in her own, crouching down to look him in the eyes. "Is he going to hurt you for helping Jareth?"  
  
Hoggle didn't answer, he only shrugged a little and pulled his hands out of hers.  
  
"Alright. Go and tell Jareth that I'll talk to him, but make sure he knows he better ask nicely." She would make Jareth squirm until she answered him, but she had already made up her mind. Whoever this new person was that wanted to take over the Labyrinth, she wouldn't let him hurt her friends! 


	4. chapter4

Five minutes passed, then ten. Sarah was starting to get impatient. She paced around the living room chewing on her thumbnail. After making several rounds of the carpeted floor she was near growling with frustration. She wanted to get this over with. "Where are you Jareth. I wish you'd hurry up and get your skinny ass here."  
  
"Well it's about time, and what business is it of yours what the dimensions of my ass are?"  
  
So much for him being nice. "What do you mean it's about time? I've been waiting here for," she looked up at the clock, "for the past twenty minutes."  
  
He walked across the living room and dropped lightly into the chair. The cat which had been lounging there jumped out of the way at the last second, diving over the back of the chair. He glared up at this person who dared disturb him. "I was waiting for you to...invite....me. I should say, your last invitation of me was more of what I was expecting." He draped one leg over the arm of the couch, his elbow propped on the other arm and he rested his cheek against his fist. "Really, this is the first time I was summoned by some one wishing for my ass. Most girls request the body it's attached to as well."  
  
Sarah glared at him and folded her arms across her chest. "You mean there's more to you than being an ass? I hadn't noticed."  
  
She walked over and sat on the couch. She didn't like standing while he sat like that. Even in the simple chair, his presence proclaimed that he was a king, and he turned the modest piece of furniture into a throne. Standing in front of him, she couldn't help but feel that she was the one petitioning him. He's the one that needs my help, she reminded herself. I've got the upper hand right now, let's try to keep it that way.  
  
"So," she looked at him, putting on the sweetest look she could muster. "Are you actually going to talk to me this time, or are you going to run away again?"  
  
He tensed, his eyes narrowing at her. He swung around on the chair, putting both feet on the floor and leaned forward to speak to her. "I came here to make a request of you, in return..."  
  
She cut him off. "Request of me? And what sort of request is this?"  
  
She had intentionally interrupted him because she knew that he was used to always being heard out, and this would irritate him. She was right. She watched as a muscle in his jaw twitched as he bit back a comment.  
  
"I have been asked to go through someone else's version of the labyrinth, and I want you to go with me." He forced his voice to keep a neutral tone to it and not betray his own frustration.  
  
"Now why would I want to do that?" She asked. One look at him trying to control his temper and she couldn't resist taunting him a but. "After all I already beat it one labyrinth."  
  
Jareth glared at her a moment, then stood. With a twist of his wrist, a crystal appear, rolling up his palm to settle at the tips of his fingers. He held it out to her in a gesture of offering. "Before I offered you your dreams if you would decide not to run the labyrinth, this time," his voice softened, "I offer them again if you would accompany me in this labyrinth."  
  
Sarah was tempted. All she had to do was reach out and take that glass bubble and she could live a dream. Her mind though shook itself free of the temptation. While a dream seemed a pleasant idea, she'd rather have the reality of the dream instead of the illusion.  
  
She rose off the couch and took a step forward towards him. She reached out her hand as if to touch the shinning bubble of magic, only to flick it back at him. "No." Her voice was just a little above a whisper.  
  
Surprised, Jareth didn't catch the crystal and it fell to the floor. It made no sound as it landed on the carpet and rolled a few feet. "No?" He had thought....she had agreed to listen to him, he offered her her dreams, and she was going to refuse him. He should have known. He steeled himself and got ready to leave but was halted by her hand on his arm.  
  
"I don't believe life can be a dream anymore. If you want my help, first of all, you have to say so. Don't hide the request behind pretty words or offers either, that doesn't count."  
  
Jareth looked at her. The little whelp was going to make him beg! A flash of rage flooded through him. His first instinct was to walk away. He did not beg anyone for anything, especially not of some little girl who thought to much of herself. Then his rational mind took over again. She was right, he did need her help, and there was to much at stake here to let his pride get in the way. Not now at least.  
  
"Sarah, will you please assist me on the journey through this labyrinth?" He forced the words out through clenched teeth. He watched she raised an eyebrow at him in expectation. "...please." He added.  
  
She looked at him for a few minutes in silence before answering him. "I'll go with you Jareth, but only under certain conditions. First, I'm not your subject, I can do as I want. If you think otherwise, I'm gone."  
  
He nodded. "Yes, I remember." He smirked at her. "What was that phrase again, 'you have no power over me.' Something like that at any rate."  
  
She nodded. "Exactly. And the other thing I want. Last time I went through a labyrinth, it was to get my baby brother back from you. This time, if we make it to the end, start treating Hoggle with some respect. If he says he doesn't want to do something, you don't get to threaten him with the bog or anything else. He's earned that much from you."  
  
It was Jareth's turn to be silent. He was a king, he was used to being obeyed. Giving this to Sarah, he would be weakening himself to scrutiny if he were to let one dwarf get away with disobeying him. Looking at her face, so defiant against him, her green eyes so intent on getting what she wanted, such matters didn't really seem that important to him. He did need her help, and if he could get her help and make her happy at the same time, it would be worth it. "Alright. I will not bother Hoggle anymore. Do not ask more of me though."  
  
Sarah nodded. "Alright that's fair. I'll help you then."  
  
They stood in awkward silence for a few minutes before Sarah realized that she still had her hand on his arm. She let her hand drop back to her side and took a step back. "Have a seat, I want to grab a few things before I leave."  
  
It was Jareth's turn to nod. He watched as she started to head back to her work room. "Oh and Sarah?"  
  
She stopped and turned back towards him. "Hmmmm?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Sarah walked down the short hallway, passing by her work room and went into storage room. This room was the most disorganized in her place. Since there hadn't been much closet space when she purchased the place, she had turned this one room into something of a giant closet.  
  
There was a portable rack for hanging clothes, and several drawers and chests with her clothing in it. One side was a pile of gear that she had used for camping trips and various sports activities that she had tried to get involved with. From this pile, she dug out a sturdy back pack that the sport store had guaranteed her would stand up to the rough elements and come through the most haggard of conditions. The main reason why she took it now was because it had a lot of space for putting stuff in.  
  
Into this, she packed two pairs of jeans, a two tee shirts and a zippered sweatshirt in case it was colder there. Then she began to pack other items that she thought she might need based on her last trip to there. A length of rope that she had gotten when she had decided to try mountain climbing, right before discovering her fear of heights. Next she added two flash lights and some spare batteries. Remembering what Hoggle said about this possibly being more dangerous, she also threw in a first aid kit, and after a moment's hesitation, a sewing kit as well. Her notebook and a handful of pens went into the front pocket where she would be able to find them with out having to dig through everything else. She always took a notebook with her when she went somewhere incase she got a new idea. Thinking of working, she also grabbed her digital camera, a spare battery and a box of discs. Maybe if she could get some good pictures, her next book could be illustrated with life like pictures.  
  
Her last stop was in the kitchen. The peach still sat on the table there. It was because of that reminder that she would not make this mistake again. She had originally eaten the tainted peach because she had been so very hungry and it was the only thing that she could identify as edible on her trip. This time, she made a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, some fruit which she placed in a brown paper bag, and a package of Oreo cookies. On either side of the pack there was a pouch for water bottles. She took two bottles from the fridge and slipped them in.  
  
She started to leave the kitchen, then stopped and returned to the counter. Opening a drawer she took out a large butcher's knife. It was the closest thing she had to a weapon. "Just in case," She muttered to herself. Wrapping it in a dish towel to protect the blade, she slipped that into her bag as well.  
  
She stepped back into the living room and slipped her arms into the straps. "Alright, I'm ready, let's go."  
  
Jareth looked at her and then looked at the bag. "Do you really need all that?"  
  
She shook her head. "Probably not, but it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. One of the few good words of advice that Karen gave me." She stepped close to him. "so yes, it's all going with me, and no you can't talk me out of it."  
  
Jareth just sighed. "You are trying mortal."  
  
Sarah grinned as he took her hand and the world around them started to fade away to be replaced with the underground. . "You're wrong Jareth, I don't even have to try." 


	5. chapter5

The world that they faded into was dark. Last Sarah had been in the Underground, it had never grown really dark. The sun had seemed to stay in the same place despite the hours that ticked off as she made her way through the maze. Now standing outside the walls of the labyrinth, the darkening night made the land seem more sinister.  
  
On her first visit to these walls, the area had been teeming with fairies. That was when she had met Hoggle, he was spraying to get rid of the infestation of the little things. She had thought it was cruel, to kill something that was so small and delicate. Then she picked one up, and even as it lay dying in her hands, it still had the malice to bite her. Now, not a fairy was in sight. The walls had been over grown with crawling vines that seemed to writhe in the moonlight.  
  
Next to the little pond where she had first spotted Hoggle, a small fire blazed. Jareth let go of her hand and moved over to sit by the fire. Sarah hesitated a moment then followed, sitting on the opposite side of the flames form him.  
  
"Aren't we going in there?" She nodded to the labyrinth.  
  
"Don't be so impatient, Sarah." He lounged by the fire, ankles crossed, propped up on one elbow. "Once the doors open, we'll have thirteen hours to get to the center. "  
  
"When will the doors open?" Sarah laid the full pack on the ground next to her. She sat hugging her legs to her chest, her chin resting on her knee. She was impatient to get started and get this done with. She wanted to see the person who had threatened her friends right before she ground him into the dirt.  
  
"They'll open when the trial shall begin."  
  
"So you don't know."  
  
Jareth sighed. "No."  
  
She didn't want to spend the next thirteen hours fighting with this man. Perhaps, if she were to make an effort not to bait him, he would respond in kind and they could make it through this like civilized adults. "Jareth, why are you doing this? I mean You're the king of the labyrinth, why would you agree to this challenge?"  
  
"It is not always enough to simple have the title of king, sometimes you have to prove you have the right to that title, and if I..."  
  
His words were cut off as two sections of the labyrinth swung out on invisible hinges. Quickly, Jareth got to his feet. With a wave of his hand the fire went out.  
  
Sarah also got to her feet, she bent down to pick up the backpack again and when she straightened he had changed. His clothes had changed into something that she considered to be a bit more sensible, black leather pants, with black leather boots that went to his knees. Unlike the pair that he normally wore, these had no heels on them and would be more suited for hard travel on foot. His shirt was the same style, a painters shirt of blue silk left open across the chest with a spill of ruffles at the sleeves. He wore an intricate black leather belt that from which hung a sword with a wicked looking edge. Her mouth gaped a little at the sudden change, then she remembered that she was not a fish and closed her mouth.  
  
"Well? Don't just stand there, it won't stay open forever." He strode off to the doors, his long strides quickly crossing the distance.  
  
Sarah had to jog to catch up to him. No sooner had they passed the doors, they swung shut with a loud thump that reverberated through her bones.  
  
On her first trip through the labyrinth, when she entered, she had been able to go left or right. The corridors down both ways had been covered with a kind of fungus that had one eye on a strand of brown moss. The eyes had seemed human and had unnerved her, but had not quite scared her. Now, standing just past the entrance, there was no corridors leading off to either side. They stood with the apparently solid wall at their backs and a straight corridor leading them forward. The darkness of the night made it hard to see the path in front of them.  
  
"Guess there's only one way for us to go." She hitched her bag on her shoulder getting it more comfortable for what she knew would be a long trip.  
  
"Thank you for point out that conclusion. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't had you here to guide me." Jareth continued walking down the corridor confidently.  
  
Sarah walked up and grabbed his arm. "Look, It's not my fault that you made a bad bargain, but I did decide to help you get out of it, the least you can do is act a bit more civil to me."  
  
He glared at her, stepping closer to use his height over her as intimidation. "You think I made a bad bargain?" His voice was low and dangerous. He was trying to get her to back down from him, figuring maybe if he started off right, he could keep matter between them in his control, where they belonged.  
  
Rather than stepping back like he had anticipated, she instead took her own step forward, leaving just inches between them. "Don't try to scare me Jareth, it won't work. I can still leave you to deal with this yourself."  
  
He smirked down at her. "Actually, no you can't. Once those doors closed behind us, the only way out of here became the gateway at the castle. If I could count on magic to be reliable, I would simply have the labyrinth create a path for me straight from here to the city, that includes the magic that would be needed to send you home. Now, you can either help me get there, or you can remain in here forever."  
  
Sarah's eyes widened. When she had agreed to help him, she thought that she would be able to leave if things went wrong. "That's not fair!" The words were out of her mouth before she could think to stop them. Being near him seemed to have regressed her into an arrogant teenager who thought everything had to react as she thought they should.  
  
The smile that he flashed her reminded her of a feral cat. "There are those words again. And just what do you consider 'fair' these days? What a pity, here I thought you had finally grown up." He turned away from her in dismissal and started forward again.  
  
Sarah stared after him a moment before following after him. She would get him to the center of the labyrinth, but when this was over, she was going to make him regret toying with her.  
  
An hour later they had found their way out of the stone corridors of the entrance area of the maze. More accurately, they had been chased out. After walking a while in silence, they had come to an intersection in the corridors. Sarah had suggested they go left. Jareth insisted that it would only take them back to the beginning and had stalked off down the right. That corridor had been blocked half way down by the sight of a large bird. It was nearly as tall as Sarah, snowy white feathers. Its talons looked like metal and made a clicking noise against the stone as it scraped at a rock. It opened it's large beak and screeched at them.  
  
Without thinking, Sarah took a step closer to Jareth. Unlike the creatures she had encountered before, this thing did not look in the least bit friendly. "What is that?" she whispered.  
  
Jareth didn't answer her, instead he drew the sword at his waist, and held it out in front of him ready to defend. "Go back, we'll go the other way."  
  
Under other circumstances, Sarah would have gladly taken the opportunity to say I told you so. However this bird chose this moment to fly upwards into the air and dive at them. Jareth, turned and pushed her to the ground to avoid the charge. In doing so, the swooping bird managed to tear it's claws across his shoulder. He bit back a cry of pain. The talons were metal, iron, and the scratches burned his skin.  
  
As the bird rose again to make another charge, he jumped to his feet and pulled Sarah up with him. "Run. Now!" He pushed her ahead of him, running close behind her with the sword still held in his hand. Every time the bird got dove for them, he would pause and slice at the incoming attack. It would dodge a way , and circle to attack again.  
  
They reached back to the point where the intersection had been. The corridors had changed. Sarah now leading the retreat as Jareth kept the thing back, didn't bother to wonder at this, she had grown used to the path changing on her during the first trip, instead, she simply bolted down a different corridor and prayed that they weren't heading back towards the entrance.  
  
They raced through the stone corridors and finally broke out into an open field. Sarah stumbled as she expect her foot to meet hard stone and instead landed on cushioned grass. She landed on her hands and knees. She felt around on the ground, finding a few good size stones. She climbed to her feet to see the bird nearing the exit, still chasing them. She took one of the stones and hurled it as hard as she could, praying under her breath for her aim to be good enough to hit the bird. As soon as one stone left her hand, she threw another. She heard as one of the stones made an impact and the bird screeched in pain. She threw another one and heard another screech. Picking up on her idea, Jareth also started throwing rocks at the creature.  
  
Soon they were watching as the bird flew back into the corridors to get away from the flying rocks. Once gone, Sarah collapsed to the ground. She was out of breath from running and her cheeks were flushed from the exertion and adrenaline. "well gee, that was a fun time."  
  
She looked up at him. Unlike her he was not winded from running, but he was paler than he should have been. "Are you okay?"  
  
He simply nodded, not bothering to speak.  
  
"Look, We can't get through this not talking to each other. How about a truce?" Her blood was still rushing through her, and despite the danger, she couldn't help but feel a certain level of excitement. It was the kind of excitement that she had been seeking when she had tried to take up rock climbing. "I'll try not to insult you, you try not to insult me, and hopefully we can get through this quickly. What do you say? Sound good?"  
  
He nodded silently.  
  
Sarah looked at him as she got to her feet. She had the impression that he wasn't hearing a word she said. "And then when we get to the center of the maze, I'm going to dump you in the bog of stench, dress all the goblins in frilly pink dresses, and teach them all to sing it's a small world after all."  
  
Again he nodded, still keeping his silence.  
  
Sarah sighed, slipped the bag off her shoulder and walked over to him. "Jareth?" She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked up at him, trying to get him to look at her. She saw him wince as she touched his shoulder.  
  
"I'm fine," He managed to force the words out. "pick up your bag and let's go." He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She didn't move. "Now, Sarah."  
  
He still looked pale. "No, you're hurt." She moved to step around him to look at his shoulder but his hand caught arm and held her in front of him.  
  
There was a tightness to his eyes as he tried to focus past the searing pain that threatened to overwhelm him. It wasn't a life threatening injury, but it had been iron and it would take hours for the pain to completely disappear, and days for the wound to heal. "Sarah, I said to pick that damn bag you insisted on bringing and we will continue on."  
  
"And I said I wouldn't be treated as one of your subjects!" Still she did walk over to the back and lift it up.  
  
Jareth thought that she was going to do as he said and he concentrated on not letting the pain bother him. He started to walk across the darkened field.  
  
"Where are you going, get back here." She called after him, but he didn't stop. She ran after him, still holding the bag rather than slipping into the shoulder straps again. As she neared him, she saw the tears in the back of his shirt. She grabbed his arm to try to stop him and then regretted it at the sharp intake of breath it produced. "sorry."  
  
"Sarah, there is nothing to do be done at the moment but to go on." He tried to be patient with her and explain. "The claws were made of iron, it just has to run it's course."  
  
"Nonsense." She pulled a flashlight out of her bag and switched it on "We can at least make bandage it to make sure it stays clean."  
  
"And what do you suppose we bandage it with?"  
  
She pulled the first aid kit out of her bag. "I told you I wanted to be prepared. Now hold still." She opened the first aid kit and sorted out the items she thought she might need. She looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Um. You actually need to sit down. You're to tall for me to work on like this."  
  
Figuring it would be quicker to let her work than to argue, he carefully sat down on the grass.  
  
"And um.....need to take the shirt off."  
  
He pulled the shirt out of his pants and started to pull it off but found that the movement caused even more pain in his shoulder. "Work around it." He half snapped at her.  
  
"Don't be stubborn." She snapped back. Then she leaned over him and carefully helped him out of the shirt.  
  
The scratches one the back of his shoulder were and angry red and hot to the touch. She winced in sympathy. "Oh Jareth, that has to hurt."  
  
"You are quite talented at stating the obvious, aren't you." The cool air did make the wound feel a little better, but the burning was still there.  
  
Quietly, she took a small bottle of antiseptic and doused the wound with it. She expected a his of pain as the liquid hit the open gashes, but he just sat there seething. Working quickly before he changed his mind, she carefully rubbed a liberal amount of ointment that the first aid kit said would help relieve the sting of cuts and aid healing. When she was done with that, she placed two pads of sterile gauze over the wounds and held them in place with white medical tape. "There, how is that."  
  
Surprisingly, as she rubbed the ointment in, the pain had seemed to greatly diminish, and by the time that she had finished with the bandaging, it had all but disappeared. "Actually it feels......better." He had been hurt by iron before, and no matter what his healers had tried to do for him, nothing had managed to stop the pain as she had been able to.  
  
"Good!" She sounded quite pleased with herself. She shut off the flashlight and put the items back into the kit then slipped it back in the back pack. When she was done, she looked over at him to find him watching her. He hadn't put his shirt back on yet, and with out the distraction of worry in the way, she was able to appreciate the sight of him. What she had first thought of as skinny or trim, turned out to be well define, although hidden in the billowing folds of the shirts he usually wore. His skin had been smooth as she had tended his wound and she wondered what it would be like to curl against his warm chest, close her eyes and....  
  
She was thankful for the darkness of the night to hide the blush that had blossomed in her cheeks as she realized where her own thoughts were going. Shouldering her back pack again, she waited until he had put his shirt back on. "Alright, let's get going." She strode past him across the field hoping to come across a path soon that would lead them to the next part of the labyrinth. 


	6. chapter6

Finding a path out of the meadow they had wandered into was easier said than done. The sky overhead sparkled with stars and a there was a gentle breeze in the air that carried the scent of wildflowers. As they walked further away from the maze of stone, the darkness started to fill with sounds of crickets and night birds.  
  
"This is actually kind of nice," Sarah remarked. A few feet away from her, the grass trembled for a moment, then a rabbit poked it's head up, ears twitching around. It spotted the two companions and ducked back down before scampering off.  
  
"I am sure it only seems that way. There is probably something waiting for us, we just haven't found it yet." He slowed his steps to walk next to her. She was lovely in the moonlight. She was simply dressed in a pair of well fitting jeans and a dark green t-shirt which seemed to bring out the color in her eyes, but she was still beautiful to look at. He shook his head of these thoughts. He had always been fascinated by her, and he was not going to let her distract him this time.  
  
The first time that she had been in his labyrinth, he had enjoyed taunting her, teasing her, even simply watching her. He had gotten so distracted by watching her, that he hadn't paid attention to the surroundings around her, and she had reached the goblin city without him fully realizing it. It had taken one of the sentries to alert him to the fact that she was almost at his front door. By that point, he hadn't really cared weather or not he had kept the child she had wished away, but he had wanted to keep her there. He had thought that if she failed, perhaps he could offer her a settlement, he'd send back the baby if she would stay in his place.  
  
But she hadn't wanted him. She had rejected him and had broken free of his spells. As the clock had started to chime the thirteenth hour, she had defeated him. All because she had distracted him. He would not let that happen this time. He would use her to get him through the labyrinth and this time, he would be the victor.  
  
"We should probably try to find a way down."  
  
Jareth realized that she had been talking to him. He couldn't remember what she had been saying as he was distracted by the sight of her. "Why would we do that?"  
  
She gave him a worried look. "I just went over that. Are you sure you're alright? Maybe that cut was worse than I thought. Perhaps we should rest for a little bit."  
  
"We will not be stopping. I am fine. The pain is all but gone, and I can move perfectly well. Now what were you talking about?" He realized that he was snapping at her. He was angry with himself for doing exactly what he was telling himself not to do, getting distracted by her.  
  
"What I was saying, was that the labyrinth can't be completely different. It's in the same place, and while some things can change, some things should also have to stay the same. Before, the easiest way to get closer to the castle was to travel in the underground passages. So maybe we should be looking for a way down into those passages."  
  
"That would make sense, which is the exact reason why it wouldn't work."  
  
She stopped and looked at him. "Huh?"  
  
He stopped a few paces past her and turned to look back at her. "The labyrinth was made not to make sense. If it starts to make sense, then it changes. That is why when you started marking your way through the mazes, the paths kept changing."  
  
"I thought it did that because you told it to."  
  
"Partially, but the labyrinth is like a living creature. It doesn't want to be solved. It knows that when people fail to solve it, the labyrinth will benefit, so therefore it will do it's best to confuse and deter those who challenge it."  
  
"So you're saying, not only are we going against Mr. Asshole who's waiting at the castle for us, but we're also going against the labyrinth itself?"  
  
He smirked at her description of his challenger. "Correct."  
  
She started walking again. It seemed that every time she started thought she understood something here, new evidence would prove her completely wrong. "I don't know how much help I'm going to be to you." She said softly.  
  
"Neither do I." He continued walking as well looking for the entrance to the next part of the maze.  
  
She stopped again. "If you don't know what help I'll be, why did you bother asking me here?"  
  
"It wasn't my idea." His voice was near a growl. Did this mortal have to question everything. "It was the dwarf who said that if I wanted to have any chance of getting through this maze, that I would have to take you with me. Not that you've been any help so far."  
  
She walked up to face him. "No help? You'd still be standing back there in a stupor of pain if I hadn't been here to fix you up. And who's fault is it we ran into that...that...thing? I tried to tell you to go in the other direction, but you had to go that way." There it was, the I told you so that she had avoided earlier.  
  
"Oh, and you are so much better at this? I have not noticed you having any better luck finding a way out of this field. Since you seem to be so much more adapt at this game, why don't you find the way out of here?" His voice had risen until he was nearly yelling.  
  
"Fine, maybe I just will!" she yelled back. Then she hitched her bag on her shoulder, and strode off, cursing him under her breath. She continued to walk in a straight line, determined to find some sort of path out of there. After twenty minutes though, no path was apparent and she was becoming increasingly aware of time slipping by. There was no longer anything within view except for endless fields of grass.  
  
"I see that you are doing an even better job of getting through this than I am." Jareth glided along behind her. He had his thumbs hooked over the belt of the sword and wore an expression of boredom.  
  
Sarah stopped. She wouldn't walk any further she decided. With a scream of frustration she stomped her foot. "I hate this place!"  
  
Jareth stopped next to her and blinked. "Really, a temper tantrum is not going to help. Now come on. Let's go."  
  
"No, I'm not going any further, this field just goes on and on, there is no path that is going to lead us out of here." She took off the backpack and let it drop to the ground. "I hate this place, I wish we could just be done with it and on to the next level of the damn maze."  
  
She moved to drop down next to the backpack, intending on sitting right there on the grass until she could figure a way out of there. As she dropped down though, the ground was suddenly gone. There was nothing but a deep black pit where the ground had been and she was falling.  
  
This time there were no helping hands to slow the decent, she landed on the bottom of the pit with jarring impact. She heard something moving to her right and guessed that Jareth had ended up in the hole as well. "Jareth?"  
  
There was no answer to her call. She thought that maybe he had injured himself landing. Maybe he was unconscious and couldn't answer her. She rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself to her hands and knees. Crawling in the direction of the sound, she gingerly felt her way forward. "Jareth, can you hear me? Jareth?"  
  
Her fingers brushed against something. It felt furry and slightly oiled. Her hand recoiled from the sensation and a chittering squeak filled her ears. First one, then another answered it, and another until the small area was filled with the annoying high pitched noise. She could sense things moving in the darkness now. Without being able to see them, her mind filled the space with it's own terrors, all of them getting ready to strike at her.  
  
A light appeared from high above her. It dimly lit the circular cavern she was in, and made the thousands of tiny eyes peering at her seem to glow. The walls were covered with rats and they were closing in around her. She screamed.  
  
The light that had been above her came quickly towards her, and the rodents seemed to flinch back away from that light. Then Jareth was next to her, he had her bag in one hand and a flashlight in the other. "Well, you did mange to find a way out of that field."  
  
"I think I preferred the field. I hate rats." Her voice shook slightly and she moved closer to the beam of light that was keeping them at bay. She was certain that it was the nearness of the light that made her suddenly feel more secure and had nothing to do with the fact that Jareth was a mere arms length away from her.  
  
"This appears to be an oubliette. If so, there should be a way out." Jareth swung the flashlight around the small cavern. Everywhere the light touched, the rats covered the walls. He drew his sword and carefully tried to move one of the rats off the wall. This seemed to send the other rats into a frenzy. They swarmed over and under each other, the walls writhing with hundreds of bodies.  
  
Between flashed of teeth and eye and tail, he spotted what appeared to be an exit. He sheathed his sword and stepped forward towards the exit. He raised his hand and extended it out to touch the door. The rats seemed to watch him, but they made no move to stop him. Rather than the feel of wood beneath his hand, as he pushed forward past the layers of rats, his hand emerged into empty space beyond. He continued moving forward, pushing his way through the mass bodies. He could feel them against his skin as he moved through them, small claws trying to scratch him, teeth trying to bite. He pushed forward until he could look behind the wall of rodents and see the open tunnel way behind them. He did not venture further, instead he pulled him self back into the small room. "There is an open way beyond there, that should lead us onward."  
  
Sarah shook her head. "No. Uh-uh, I am not walking through a wall of rats."  
  
He fixed her with a stern look. "Sarah, you must if you want to continue."  
  
"There's got to be some way to move them away." She shuddered at the thought of passing through that wall.  
  
"There's not, they are the door. There's no reason for you to worry, they aren't on the other side of the opening. Just in here. Think of this, if you want to get away from them, you have to go through them."  
  
Sarah just stared at the rodents wide eyed, showing no signs of moving toward them.  
  
"Oh for light's sake, we don't have time for this!" He picked up Sarah throwing her over his shoulder and started forward.  
  
She let out a squeal of protest and automatically tried to wriggle away. "Put me down you ogre or else I'll.." Her ultimatum was cut short as they started to move past the wall and the rats tried to tangle themselves in her hair. She felt their teeth nipping at her flesh, their claws on her skin, and then they were past them.  
  
Jareth placed her back on her feet. "There. It's done with."  
  
She stood there covered with dozens of tiny scratches across her face, neck, and arms. He bore no mark from the creatures, although he had felt them as surely as she had.  
  
"Sarah, are you alright." He reached out for her, to try to clam her as she stood trembling before him.  
  
She took the comfort he offered, turning to him and pressing herself against the comfort of his body. "Rats and heights..." she whispered.  
  
He stood there for a moment, one arm curled around her back, his free hand stroking her hair. "What about them?" he asked softly.  
  
"The two things I'm afraid of, rats and heights. I hate them both." She took a few calming breaths, leaning her head against his shoulder and soaking up the comfort of his touch. She'd tell herself how foolish she was being later, right now, she felt safe and comfortable in his arms.  
  
"We're past there now. Hopefully, the labyrinth won't play the same tricks twice." He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled back to look at her. "You look dreadful."  
  
She gave a shaky laugh and shook her head. "Gee thanks, that's something I've always wanted to hear."  
  
He dropped his hands from her shoulders and removed the leather gloves from his hands. "Hold still for a moment."  
  
Gently he placed his hands on her wrists, his touch warm and soft. He begin to glide his hands up her arms, and where his hands passed over, the scratches disappeared leaving only a pleasant warmth where they had been.  
  
Sarah closed her eyes, letting the sensations sooth the tension from her. She pushed thoughts of the room filled with rats out of her mind and concentrated on the feel of his touch. She thought that the feeling of him touching her should make her uncomfortable. She had spent many years avoiding him, he had stolen her brother, she should hate him. Instead she caught herself wanting to stay like this, she didn't want to go on if it meant putting an end to this moment.  
  
His hands continued across her upper arms to her shoulders, they glided over the fabric of her shirt to rest at the base of her neck. Carefully erasing the reddening claw marks from her skin, he continued his healing caresses moving up her neck. She was enjoying this, and he once more he was enjoying watching her. Her breath coming through parted lips, eyes closed and cheeks flushed.  
  
For the moment, he didn't care about why they were there or what he was after. This was what he wanted, and he couldn't think of a reason why he shouldn't have what he desired. He leaned forward to press his lips to hers. He expected her to pull away from him, to curse him and call him a fool. Instead she leaned into him and returned his kiss, moving her hands to rest against his chest.  
  
At her acceptance, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him, deepening the kiss. He massaged her lips with his own, pulling at her lower lip to nip lightly at it before soothing it over with gentle caresses of his tongue.  
  
Sarah felt as if the world had tipped upside down. Her mind was filled with the scent and the taste of him on her lips. The ground no longer seemed solid under her feet and she leaned into him, grasping the soft fabric of his shirt in her hands to anchor herself against him.  
  
His hands dropped to her waist and he broke away from her lips to cover her face with feather soft kisses. She felt as if she could drown in the sensations, she could hear her blood rushing in her veins like a tidal wave.  
  
Slowly he pulled away from her. She opened her eyes to look up at him, boldly meeting his gaze. His breathing was as ragged as hers, and his eyes seemed to be on fire. The rushing in her ears did not seem to fade, rather it continued to grow in intensity.  
  
"Sarah..." His voice was huskier than it had been. That voice alone could have melted her. "Sarah, something's..."  
  
He didn't have to finish. Sarah realized that the rushing she was hearing was not coming from within her as she had first thought. Her eyes grew round as she glanced frantically around the tunnel they had entered. There was a slight tilt to the ground, angling down ward, and the rushing sound was coming from behind her. As she looked down she saw the first rivulets of water racing down the incline.  
  
She looked behind her as the first frothy waters splashed against the wall as the incoming flood rounded the corner and Jareth's hold on her tightened. "Oh shit...." 


	7. chapter7

White water crashed down around them sweeping their feet from beneath them and dragging them under. Each tried to keep a grasp on the other as they fought to catch brief lungfulls of air before being overwhelmed once again. The water tossed them about, slammed them into the walls of the cavern and their entwined hands broke apart.  
  
Jareth was swept away faster than Sarah and though she fought the water to stay near him, she soon lost sight of him in the foaming white channels. In her search for adventure over the years, Sarah had explored the thrills of white water rafting, she had been dumped before into a raging river and this wasn't to much different. Well except for the fact that there was a ceiling of rock above her and it was getting increasingly difficult to stay near the font of the cascading water, which was the only place where she was able to surface to get her breath.  
  
The water continued to push her along, but rushed ahead of her even faster. She was surrounded by water and letting the current take her where it would while she searched for a pocket of air. Her lungs burned, the air that she held wanted to explode from her and continue the breathing process, but she knew that if that happened, she would try to fill her lungs again as they emptied, and succeed in drowning herself.  
  
She felt a hand on her arm, at first she thought that Jareth had found her again. Arms enfolded her and the body that buffeted her own against the current was more muscular, wider than that of the Goblin king. He hugged her tightly, forcing the air from her lunge. Lips found hers beneath the water, she tried to push away from who ever had grasped her, and then they were parting her lips.  
  
Instead of the invasive kiss she had expected, her rescuer breathed sweet air into her mouth as she started to gasp from the sudden release of air. The burning in her lungs started to subside. He kept his lips pressed to hers, and when she needed to breath, he would exhale into her mouth.  
  
He guided her through the water keeping her from ricocheting off the stone walls. As the tunnels started to split off into various directions, the water began to drain out into the separated tunnels leaving Sarah and her rescuer on the floor of a tunnel.  
  
Sarah could not tell how far the water had carried her, this tunnel looked the same as where she had started. She took a couple of breaths on her own as she pushed away from the person who still held her close. "Thank you.." She managed to choke out around the strange sensation of breathing fresh air.  
  
"It was my pleasure, my lady, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Boto."  
  
She looked over at him. His eyes were pure black and his skin had a pink tint to it. He had a long face and dark hair poking out from her the edge of a red cavalier's hat. He wore a dark red shirt, black breeches, and no shoes. While his clothes were amazingly dry, she was soaked. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she tried to wring some of the water out of her shirt as she talked. "Boto, do you know where we are?"  
  
A laughed, a delightfully merry sound. "Of course, we are under the labyrinth."  
  
"I mean, where under the labyrinth are we?"  
  
"We almost beneath the Goblin Castle." He sauntered up to her, grabbing her about the waist and twirling her around in a bit of a dance. "And tonight, there is to be a feast and dancing, and I wish to escort you."  
  
Almost beneath the castle. The idea that she had been swept here in so short a time amazed her. "Do you know where Jareth is?" she could barely keep the excitement out of her voice. If he was near by, then they could find him, bring him back here, and they could be finished with plenty of time to spare!  
  
"Jareth? Oh him. Yeah, he didn't come this way. Now what shall you be wearing, I want to make sure we match, we'll be the envy of all in attendance!"  
  
Sarah placed her hands against his shoulders and pushed herself away from him. "I'm sorry Boto, I don't think that I will be able to go with you to the feast. I need to find Jareth." She remembered what Hoggle had told her about needing help in the Labyrinth. "Can you help find him, Boto?"  
  
He shook his head and laughed again as if she had made an absurd suggestion. "Oh no, I won't help him. If I help him, then we won't be invited to the feast, or worse. You shouldn't even say his name this close to the castle, it might bring Thanier's attention to you. You wouldn't like that, very unpleasant, best to just forget him, look forward to the party instead."  
  
Sarah shook her head. "I can't forget him. I said I'd help him, so that's what I'm going to do."  
  
The laughter faded from Boto's eyes, his smile gone. "You shouldn't have told him that. We were told not to help him, it could be dangerous if we do."  
  
"What about me?" Sarah asked an idea kindling.  
  
"Oh I'm sure that you're not supposed to be helping him either. Thanier said no one..."  
  
"No," she interrupted. "I mean, you're not allowed to help Jar.." She saw his eyes widen a bit in alarm and she changed what she was going to say, "my friend, but are you allowed to help me?"  
  
Boto seemed to think about this for a moment. "He did not say that I could not help you. He did not think that you would actually come to help someone you already defeated. Besides, if we help him, then there will be no feast."  
  
"How about this, you help me to find him. This way, you're not helping him, your helping me, and you won't get in trouble. And in return, when we get to the center of the labyrinth, I'll have the king throw a victory celebration, and there will be feasting and drinking, music and dancing. What do you say? Will you help me?"  
  
This idea brought a wide grin to Boto's face. "If you promise me a dance at this celebration, then I will help you."  
  
"It's a deal then." Sarah grinned back at him. "You take me to Jareth, and we'll dance at his feast."  
  
"This way then!" With a light bounce to his step, Boto turned and lead the way back through the tunnels.  
  
Jareth was not worried about drowning. As one of the immortal fae, the only thing he worried about killing him was iron. He was however very worried about Sarah. She was not immortal, and could probably not keep her breath under this assault of water.  
  
"Or perhaps being dashed to pieces," he thought as his shoulder struck hard against the wall of the tunnel. He tried to stay in the center of the path, but the water churned him about. He was carried away through passage after passage, with each division of the path, the water level dropped until it finally dwindled away enough to let him stand his ground.  
  
He waited for the rest of the water to drain away, and then made his way to the side of the tunnel. He could barely make out the stairs of a ladder just behind him in the passage way. He had no idea where he was under the maze, and the only way to find out was to climb out. He headed for the ladder, intent on finding out where he was. The more he moved toward it, the further away it seemed to be. What had at first been only a couple dozen feet had quickly grown until he could barely make out the ladder at the end of the passage way. Figuring that walking toward it made it move away, he started walking backwards away from his destination.  
  
Within just a few steps the ladder was close enough to grab. He pulled himself up the ladder. He was just going to see where he was, a quick look around and then he would come back down here and look for Sarah, then they could continue towards the center.  
  
The ladder lead to a small ledge with just enough room for him to stand on it. In the wall, was a narrow wooden door that was about his own height. He turned the door knob and pulled, the door didn't move. He tried pushing and the door moved a few inches, but then wouldn't move again. Determined to get past the door, he leaned his good shoulder into the wood and put all his strength to forcing it open.  
  
He stumbled forward and then he was falling. His mind dazed as he fell, a sensation of vertigo. He landed on his feet, a flashlight in one hand, Sarah's bag in the other.  
  
"Well, you did mange to find a way out of that field." The words spilled out of his mouth before he could even think them.  
  
"I think I preferred the field. I hate rats." Her voice shook slightly and she moved closer to him. He had the urge to pull her close and protect her, to soothe away her fears.  
  
He opened his mouth to tell Sarah that they had done this before. Instead though he said, "This appears to be an oubliette. If so, there should be a way out." He was moving without any control, swinging the flashlight around the rat entwined walls looking for the way out. Even though he already knew how to get out of this room, he still moved forward, pressing past the wall of rodents. "There is an open way beyond there, that should lead us onward."  
  
Once again Sarah refused to move past the wall. He felt a frustration building, not at her, but at his inability to stop himself from repeating things he had already done. Once more he carried her through the wall of squirming bodies with her cursing him. He felt the teeth and the claws of the rats against him, felt Sarah writhing trying to get away from the same sensation.  
  
He put her down in the tunnel beyond and held her soothing those fears away again. He looked at her, her perfect skin covered in bites and scratches. He wanted to fix heal her the way that she had healed him. Surely a little magic would be safe to use, just enough to mend the tears in her skin.  
  
He reached pulled off his gloves, and started to heal her wounds starting with her arms. Her skin was soft as velvet beneath his hands. She closed her eyes and he knew she was savoring the feeling of his hands on her. Her lips parted and her cheeks grew flush. He carefully kept his magic in check, allowing just a trickle to pass, just enough to accomplish the task.  
  
Now that he knew the taste of her, he had even less ability to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss her. His lips teased gently across hers, nipping and then tenderly soothing the sting away. She leaned forward, hands resting against his chest. Her touch through the soft fabric set his skin on fire, and he wanted more of her. He wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her against him and deepened the kiss.  
  
She opened her mouth to him, allowing him to explore her with his tongue. She moaned softly and tried to press herself closer to him. He broke away from her lips to taste the tender flesh of her neck. Her head tilted back and she sighed his name.  
  
He realized that this was different now. He was no longer forced to the path of the past. He pulled away from her, his hands moving to rest at his shoulders. She opened her eyes and met his gaze with her own. "Sarah." Speaking was hard for him, what he wanted right now had little to do with words, but he had to tell her what was happening. "Sarah, something's..."  
  
He didn't have time to finish as cascade of rushing water began to descend upon them. He reached for her, tightening his arms around her. He would not let himself get parted from her, not this time.  
  
The water crashed around them, it pulled them under and tossed them about. They struck the wall and his grip on her slipped and he was moving away from her. He tried to fight his way back to her. The bag hanging from his shoulder slipped off and was swept away. The current was to fast, he was being swept away again.  
  
He was twisted and tossed through the tunnels, his injured shoulder struck the wall and a flash of pain shot through him numbing his mind. He went through several different tunnels before the water started to drain away. Once he managed to get his feet under him, he stood, dazed, until the water had drained to a mere trickle.  
  
He could see a ladder behind him. As he moved toward it, it moved away from him. This seemed familiar to him, and he thought it might be something he had set up himself. Rather than continue walking forward, he walked backward until the ladder was next to him. He grasped the rungs and pulled himself up to a ledge just barely wide enough for him to stand upon. A narrow wooden door stood in front of him. He grasped the handle and pushed. It wouldn't move beyond a few inches. Putting his right shoulder against the door, he pushed with all his strength. The door gave way and he stumbled forward, then he was falling. 


	8. chapter8

Sarah regretted not being able to go back the same way she had gone forward. Despite the chill of the water and not being able to breathe, at least it was faster and less tiresome. The tunnel had obviously been constructed for the path of water to cut through as it seemed to be on a complete downward slant. The bad side of this was that in order to trace their steps back along the tunnel, they were constantly walking uphill.  
  
She was used to walking, but this was starting to strain the muscles in her legs. She knew that she would be very sore the following day from this climb. Boto seemed not to notice at all. He walked along smoothly, chattering from time to time about different celebrations that were held. Surprisingly, most of his stories were not of the Underground, but of her own world.  
  
"You've been to....the Aboveground?" She asked him.  
  
"Oh many times! They have some of the best celebrations. Some villages used to hold grand celebrations for me and my brothers." He grinned at her and helped her to climb up a series of small ledges before turning to lead her down another pathway. "All night we would dance and dine and celebrate, and the people would try to figure out which of us were Boto and which were not. And those that guessed correctly would receive a gift. IT was grand fun. They don't seem to hold those celebrations anymore."  
  
Sarah nodded. "Most people don't believe in magic anymore, or in....people....that don't' come from our world." They had finally gotten to the tunnel where she and Jareth had gone in separate direction and they now walked down the tunnels instead of up.  
  
"That's so sad. Many people used to be great friends of the people that now live in the Labyrinth. It seems less and less people call us to visit, and even fewer come here to the Labyrinth. That will probably change when Thanier takes control of this place."  
  
"How do you figure that?"  
  
Boto thought for a moment, weighing his words. "Thanier is part mortal, like you, and part fae, like Jareth. He can go between Aboveground and Underground without needing to be called." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I heard him saying that if he has control of the magic's of the Labyrinth, then he won't have to wait for someone to wish themselves here, he'll be able to take whoever he wants, and maybe, he can even get rid of the barriers that separate the Aboveground from us here."  
  
"You sound as if you don't like that idea."  
  
Boto stopped, motioning her to stop and rest for a few minutes. "We still have ways to go. Time to take a break." He suited action to word and sat down, waiting for her to do the same.  
  
Sarah sat down keeping an eye on him. He really wasn't that bad, a bit flakey, but pretty nice. "So why don't you like the idea of this Thanier guy controlling the Labyrinth?"  
  
"I just don't like him."  
  
She smirked. "That seems to be the general feeling I get. If this guy is so unpopular, why does he want to rule here anyway?"  
  
Boto looked at her, started to speak a few times, then shook his head. "I should let his majesty, King Jareth, answer that one. Come on, we better go if we're to find him." He stood up and offered her his hand which she accepted.  
  
It took them almost another hour to walk to the area where Boto assured her Jareth was. She looked around and could see no sign of him. Ahead of them, she could make out a ladder. "Perhaps he went up there, I'll just go and check."  
  
"No, you mustn't." He grabbed her arm and held her in place. "You can't go there, please, stay?"  
  
He was so insistent, his eyes looked at her filled with worry. "Boto, what's up there."  
  
"It's a memory catch. If you go up there, you'll find a door, and if you go in, you'll be stuck reliving a memory."  
  
"That doesn't sound so bad."  
  
"You'll be stuck reliving that memory, over and over again. For you, not much time will pass, but time will continue around you and you'll waste all of your time in there." He continued to hold her arms as if he were afraid if he let go she would go running for the ladder.  
  
Sarah looked at the ladder and her stomach knotted. "Is that where Jareth is?"  
  
Boto nodded.  
  
"How do we get him out then?"  
  
He looked down at the floor, taking his hat off and sweeping a hand through his hair. Sarah thought she saw something like a whale's blow whole on the top of his head before he put the hat back in place. "I thought maybe you would think of something. I've never heard of some one breaking out of the loop on their own. And you can't pull him out, you'll just pass right through him. And he won't see you there because to him, you're not there."  
  
Her heart sank. "So he can't see me, I can't touch him, and he probably won't be able to pull himself out on his own?"  
  
He nodded solemnly.  
  
"We'll just have to find some other way to get his attention. Come on." She started to walk to the ladder again and once more was halted by Boto's hand on her arm.  
  
"That's not how you get there." He said. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. Standing next to her, he took her hand and began to pull her along with him, walking backwards.  
  
As the ladder came to them, they were still alone in the tunnel. "Are you sure this is where he is?"  
  
Boto nodded. "He's here. He went through the door, it's going to take him a few minutes to get back here, then he'll climb the ladder again and everything for him will repeat."  
  
A few minutes later, Sarah saw a rushing wave of water coming at her. Not again! She thought. She braced herself as she expected the water to crash against her, but as it passed around her, it seemed to be merely illusion. The water wasn't that deep here, it did not fill the tunnel as it had when it had first carried her away, instead it seemed to barely come to her waist.  
  
The she saw Jareth he was moving with the water, but he managed to get his feet on the ground and hold his place. "Jareth!"  
  
She couldn't be sure but she thought that he might have hesitated a moment before moving to the stairs and starting to climb up again. Although she had been told it would be useless, she ran forward and tried to grab his arm. It was like trying to grab hold of mist, her hand passed through his arm with a cool sensation and he continued his climb. "Jareth, you have to stop!" There was no miniscule pause this time, he kept climbing.  
  
He reached the top of the ladder and stepped onto a little ledge out of her sight. "Great now what?" she turned to face Boto again.  
  
"We wait till he comes back and try again, and if that doesn't work, we try again. That's pretty much the only thing we can do."  
  
The tried three more times to find someway to catch his attention and break the cycle he was in. Each time, he ignored them and continued his journey back into the memory loop.  
  
After the third try they both sat in against the tunnel wall trying to think of other ways to get through to him.  
  
"Well, you could always stand in front of him and remove all your clothes."  
  
Sarah stared at her new companion. "You already said though that he wouldn't be able to see me."  
  
"No, but I would, and it would definitely make sitting here more worthwhile." He gave her such a charming flirtatious grin that she had to laugh.  
  
"Um, no, I don't think that will help us any." She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. "And I'm really thirsty right now and that's not helping me think either. I wish I had my bottle of water."  
  
"A drink would be nice, but alas, the water that comes through here is about as real as everything else at the moment, just a memory."  
  
At the mention of the water, the flooding tide came through the tunnel once more carrying Jareth with it. They did not bother to get up, as they were used to the fact that it would not actually touch them. The actual water was long gone. This time though, something did hit Sarah as she sat watching the water go by. One of the water bottles that she had packed.  
  
She picked up the bottle of water and stared at it, not quite believing it was there.  
  
"Oh good, some real water, mind if I have a bit, dearling?" Boto asked her as he noticed the bottle held before her.  
  
"Where did this....how....This wasn't here a few minutes ago." Sarah's mind churned. She had wished for a bottle of water, and one had appeared. Earlier, she had wished to find a way out of the endless field and she had dropped into the oubliette. She had wished it.  
  
Excited, she got to her feet. "I've got an idea." She watched as Jareth started making his way back to the ladder. "I wish that Jareth would come out of the memory loop."  
  
Nothing seemed to change, he was still climbing the ladder and would soon reach the top. She tried again. "I wish that Jareth would come out of the memory loop and come back down here now." He reached the ledge and disappeared.  
  
Boto, who had taken the bottle of water when she had stood up, now twisted the top back on after helping himself to a bit of the liquid. "It was a good idea though. Those are powerful words if you have the magic to make them work."  
  
"Not powerful enough though." She took the bottle from him, took the cap back off, and gulped down half the bottle. "If only he could hear me, maybe I could get him to stop going up that damned ladder."  
  
"I thought he heard you a few times, but it wasn't enough to let him break free."  
  
Sarah thought for a few minutes. She had timed the cycles, each one taking about fifteen minutes. She had a few more minutes before Jareth would appear again.  
  
As she handed the water back to Boto, her mind recalled the conversation she had thought of earlier in the evening before coming to the Underground.  
  
"I wish, thems the second most powerful words in the Underground."  
  
"What do you mean the second most powerful?"  
  
"Once they were the most powerful, till yous came along."  
  
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the next six words she would speak. "I wish that Jareth could hear me." The flooding waters appeared at the end of the tunnel and just to be sure that it worked, she continued to say those words until Jareth had gotten to his feet just a short distance away from her.  
  
She took a deep breath, and then yelled as loud as she could. "That's not fair! That's not fair, not fair, not fair!" For good measure, she even stomped her foot on the ground giving into an adolescent tantrum.  
  
Jareth wasn't sure how many times he had lived through the fall into the oubliette. Sometimes he managed to change small actions of the scripted routine, but most often he just went along with it. He had stopped fighting against the motions and instead went with them. He had to admit to himself, at least he also got to taste Sarah's sweet lips over and over again, the only disappointment being that he never got more than a mere taste before they were swept over.  
  
As he stood outside the Oubliette once more, he thought that this time, when he made it back to the ladder, he would walk the other way down the tunnel until he found Sarah or another way out. This thought was followed by one that suggested that like everything else here, he had already had that thought and yet here he was again. It seemed when he got to that point in the scenario, his mind was cloaked in confusion and he acted without thinking.  
  
Once again his moment of blissful connection with his mortal was shattered as the cascade of water crashed upon them. He weathered the current of the tunnels, trying to stay away from the stone sides and avoid crashing his already injured shoulder against the outcropping that was...  
  
Right there. He slammed into it and was overcome with a sharp hot pain. He favored his shoulder as he continued to navigate the current until he could get his feet under him. He stood watching the water drain away from him still dazed from the pain. There had to be a way out of here. He needed to find Sarah, and then they would get out of these tunnels. First he had to see where he was under the Labyrinth to find where he needed to go. There was a ladder a little behind him, he could climb up the ladder and see where he was, then come back down and look for Sarah.  
  
He started forwards, and watched as his destination receded. Automatically, he turned around and started walking backwards, knowing the ladder would come to him this way. The ladder was next to him and he was about to reach for it when he heard her. She was close, and obviously not happy. He grimaced in annoyance listening to her screaming "That's not fair." His mind reeled and the world seemed to spin out of control. He reached out and grabbed the ladder to keep from falling. His body automatically started to climb the ladder, but he forced himself to stay on the ground. This was an unaccustomed sensation for him, and he didn't wish to climb to such a height while dizzy.  
  
Grasping the wrung of the ladder with both hands, he closed his eyes and leaned his head against his knuckles. Sarah's shouting seemed to be making the spinning in his head even worse. "WILL YOU STOP THAT RANTING YOU INFERNAL WOMAN!"  
  
Abruptly the spinning stopped. He stayed holding onto the ladder though for a moment afraid that it would return. Instead he remembered being here before, many times before. Each time he would climb the ladder onto the ledge and....he would be back in the oubliette again and forced to relive everything back to this moment. He had lost count of the number of times he had been at the bottom of this ascent.  
  
Both Sarah and Boto jumped as he screamed at them from just a few feet away from them. They grinned at each other before Sarah flung herself at the Goblin King and hugged him fiercely from behind. "Oh thank god that worked! I was afraid you'd be stuck here forever!"  
  
Jareth jumped as he was attacked from behind. "What...?! Sarah? How did you get here?" He turned around and saw her companion standing only a few feet away. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at him "And who is that?"  
  
Sarah, unaware of the glare being directed at her friend, turned to Boto and smiled. "This is Boto, he's the one that saved me from that....downpour. He kept me breathing underwater and then he lead me here to you. He knows these tunnels fairly well it would seem"  
  
Boto swept his hat off as he made a deep bow to Jareth. "Your majesty, it is an honor." He kept his voice soft and held himself in the midst of his obeisance.  
  
He was soaking wet, his clothes clinging to him in some places and hanging awkwardly in others from the water, his hair was slicked back and slightly tangled. He should not have looked the part of arrogant nobility, and yet, as he motioned for Boto to rise, he managed to convey that exact look. "You have my thanks for saving this mortal."  
  
Boto smiled over at Sarah. "Thank you, your majesty, It has been a delight being able to accompany her."  
  
Jareth regarded him for a moment. "Would you perchance know a...safer way out this part of the tunnels?"  
  
Boto placed his hat back on his head, apparently looking at the floor. He kept his silence though, tossing a sideways glance to Sarah.  
  
"Well?" His temper w as showing again, and Sarah placed a hand on his arm.  
  
"He isn't able to help you, Jareth."  
  
He shook her hand off him. "You said he knows these tunnels..."  
  
Sarah shook her head. "He knows them very well, but he can't help –you-." She turned to her friend. "Boto, will you take me to a safe exit from these tunnels."  
  
A bit of tension seemed to drain out of him and he swept a brief bow in her direction. "Of course, m'lady. It would be a pleasure to accompany you."  
  
Sarah smiled up at Jareth. "He can't help you, but he can help me."  
  
Jareth scowled. "Wonderful, I can not even count on my own subjects to listen to me, but once more, you Sarah seem to have them falling over themselves to do your bidding."  
  
Sarah blinked up at him. He seemed angry but she couldn't figure out why. "Maybe it's because I actually know how to be nice to people," she spat back. She turned away from him and walked over to Boto, linking her arm with his. "C'mon Boto, let's get going, we'll let him follow if he wants."  
  
Boto glanced back at hi king, then to the mortal on his arm. While he enjoyed having her to look at, the glare from his majesty made it clear that this was not going to be a pleasant journey. 


	9. chapter9

A/N- I don't normally do author notes. I have this fellow that lives in my head. His name is Francis and he is my muse. He insists that I write, write, write, but only what he tells me, and not other blatherings. I've managed to subdue him currently though with red sweedish gummi fish, so he is content for the moment.  
  
Story is now almost finished, there will probably be a total of 13 chapters, and since this is nine, we're getting there! I want to send out many thanks to musicgirl141, YamiVixen, watergoddesskasey, Amazonian21, and Eliana Emeth for reviews. I am discovering what a wonderful thing reviews are, it's so very nice to know that people are enjoying the story.  
  
Special thanks though go to ZanneChaos, and Voodoolimbo, the two people who are giving me the encouragement to actually write and put this in public domain. Yes, the spelling and such may not be perfect, but I am planning on fixing this.  
  
All questions, comments, and such are greatly welcomed. I am planning on re- loading all this when the story is done, but I know that If I sit on this while I am writing it and wait to post it, it will never get posted. So eventually it will be all corrected and such and then re-posted. But for now, I do hope you enjoy.  
  
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The journey was not as bad as Boto had feared it would be. Jareth walked several paces behind as he led Sarah to the tunnel exit. He didn't speak during the journey, merely glaring at one or the other of them. Realizing that Jareth was going to remain apart from them and keep to himself, Boto let himself relax and enjoy Sarah's company.  
  
Boto knew that Jareth was angry, and while Sarah couldn't figure out why that was, he knew. Jareth was jealous. He had been suspicious when he had first seen him. Considering the circumstances they were in, that was to be expected. But when Sarah introduced them, the warmth in her voice had caused Jareth's attitude toward him to grow cooler. While it was something he himself had never experienced, he could understand the king's desire to possess Sarah for himself. She seemed to radiate with a sort of magic that was all her own.  
  
He knew that he was walking on dangerous ground, but couldn't help but to provoke matters. Jareth had a quick temper, and he often appeared cruel and selfish. He was used to getting what he wanted. Sarah didn't seem like the type of person who would give in to anyone just because it was expected of her. She was a beautiful young woman with a quick wit and lovely smile. Why shouldn't he enjoy himself a bit.  
  
"Sarah, what type of dancing do you prefer?"  
  
Sarah had been wrapped in her own thoughts when Boto spoke to her. She had been trying to figure out what she had managed to do to get on Jareth's bad side this time, only she had been failing miserably. "What type of dancing do I prefer?" she repeated dumbly. "What do you mean? For what?"  
  
"Well, you did promise me a dance when you got out of this, so I was wondering what you preferred? Do you like something fast that spins you all around leaving you breathless and light headed?" He took her hand in his, dropping his other to her waist and spun forward with her in a twirling dance step. "Or would you prefer something slow and leisurely?" He carefully lowered her into a dip, grinning down at her.  
  
Sarah laughed as she got caught up by his impromptu little dance, holding onto him as he tipped her over. If not for his arm around her waist she would have fallen to the floor. "Um, I think I like them both actually. But we have to get through this first before you get your dance."  
  
He set her back on her feet. "Oh, I suppose you're right, even if you are dodging the question. But I know that a lady as intelligent as you will have no problem finding your way to the end. After all, you have done this before." He risked a quick glance back at his king.  
  
Jareth was trying hard to keep a neutral expression while grinding his teeth in aggravation. When he noticed Boto glancing back at him, he finally broke his silence. "Where is it that you are taking us, any way?"  
  
Boto grinned, still keeping a hand settled at the small of Sarah's back. "I'm going to bring you to an exit just outside of the castle grounds. I would take you closer, but the closer you get, the more dangerous things are going to be for the two of you."  
  
"Boto, do you know what we might run into when we get up there?" Sarah asked. He fidgeted for a moment, taking time to straighten his clothing and adjust the brim of his hat. "Well...not exactly. But I do know that he'll try to use your hopes as well as your fears against you."  
  
Sarah remembered her own encounter with the peach and the dream ball. While at first it had been delightfully enchanting, she remembered how it had almost caused her to fail in her task. They had wasted quite a bit of time trekking around in the tunnels, plus the time that Jareth had spent trapped in the time loop. Sarah figured that they had probably used up at least half of the time allotted to them. "Well, we'll just have to keep to the task at hand then, that's all."  
  
Boto brought them near to the place where he had stopped with Sarah. "I could take you further, but as I explained, it gets more dangerous the closer we get." He looked down at Sarah. "I don't want to drop you that close into the danger. If you exit here, you should be able to get through without catching to much of Thanier's attention. When you get to the surface, you're going to be on the edge of the Woods of Night. Pay attention to which way the wind is blowing, if you follow the direction of the wind, it will lead you out of the woods. You'll be in a valley, cross to the other side and you'll be approaching the back of the castle. I assume that Jareth would know if there are any back entrances to the castle. If not, you can find your way to the front and get in through there."  
  
Sarah hugged him. "Thank you, Boto. Thank you for helping this much, I know what the cost. And I do promise, once we get through this..."  
  
Boto hugged her back and finished her thought, "...you owe me a dance. I'm holding you to that. Be careful Sarah." He kissed her cheek then turned and swept a bow to Jareth. "You're majesty, best of luck to you." He stood up, fitting his hat back on his head, then headed further down the passageway.  
  
Jareth nodded farewell to Boto and then moved to start up the ladder. Sarah stopped him, holding onto his arm and pulling him back. "What are you doing?"  
  
"You went up that last ladder first, and look what happened. As much help as Boto is, I don't trust that Thanier didn't move things around on him. If I get stuck in some sort of loop like that, you can still go on. It's more important that you get the castle. I go first." Without waiting for his response, she ducked around him and started climbing the ladder.  
  
Half way up, she looked back to find him still waiting at the bottom. Apparently he could listen to logic from time to time. The ladder ended at the bottom of a trap door. She wrapped on arm around the top wrung of the ladder and pushed upward with her other hand. The hatch flipped open and pale moonlight peeked through the trees overhead.  
  
She climbed out of the tunnels, emerging from what would appear to be the stump of a large white ash tree. She took a moment to look around. There didn't seem to be anything dangerous in the immediate area. She turned slowly around, looking in all directions. When she was fairly certain that it was safe for the moment, she turned to call back down to Jareth.  
  
The hatch to the exit way was closed. The tree stump appeared to be just a stump, and sitting on it was a cloaked figure.  
  
"I didn't expect you to come back here." The voice was soft, definitely masculine and sent a shiver down Sarah's spine.  
  
"Shows how little you know of me." She folded her arms across her chest trying to see beneath the hood of the cloak. "What was I supposed to do, let you hurt my friends?"  
  
"I didn't think that you would consider Jareth to be a friend. He was your adversary the last time you were here after all." He stood up. "I suppose I should tell you who I really am. I am Thanier, soon to be the new king of the labyrinth and all it's inhabitants."  
  
Sarah gave a rude snort. "Only in your mind, sweetheart."  
  
The hooded face turned towards her. She couldn't see the details of his face in the shadows of the night, but she could feel the angry glare he directed at her. "You should be careful, you silly little girl. I have more power than your...friend...down there, and unlike him, I have no qualms about using it." He raised a hand at her, pointing a long slender finger in her direction.  
  
Sarah stood there looking at him. For several moments nothing happened. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not polite to point?"  
  
He laughed. "You are a quandary. I think I shall enjoy having you in this little game after all." He slowly swung his hand to point at the tree stump and the hatch flipped open once more. "Call you're friend. Continue your journey. You and I will talk again shortly." He made an elegant bow to her, briefly touching his fore head and heart. He straightened again then disappeared in a flash of blue light.  
  
She waited a moment, thinking he was going to come back. When she was almost certain that he had gone, she leaned over and called down into the tunnels. "Come on up Jareth, and make it fast."  
  
Jareth started up the ladder moving as quickly as he could. "Is everything alright there?"  
  
Sarah went back to scanning the area around the stump. "Now? Yeah. a few minutes ago? Well, there was a bit of a visit from your friend running this carnival. He seems to be like you in some aspects, not content to just sit at the castle in wait, has to come down here and taunt."  
  
Jareth pulled himself out of the stump and closed the hatch behind him. "He was here?" His voice had taken on a hard edge to it again. "What did he say to you?"  
  
"Oh, nothing much, just wondered why I was here, pointed his finger at me, then left."  
  
Jareth eyed her like he didn't quite believe her. "He did nothing else?"  
  
"Nope." Having him next to her now, she stood still and waited to figure out which way the wind was blowing. "And I think we need to go.....that way," she pointed to the west.  
  
Jareth watched her for a moment, then motioned for her to start that way. "Well then, since you seem to have taken the lead on this expedition, lead the way."  
  
Sarah shrugged and started leading the way through the woods. A couple of times the wind would die down and they would be forced to stop until it resumed enough to follow it. One the first one of these breaks, she decided to bring up the topic of Thanier.  
  
"Jareth, why does Thanier want control of the labyrinth so much?"  
  
He thought for a moment about how best to answer the question. "Right now, I keep a sort of order between the aboveground and the underground. My people can not go to the Aboveground unless they are somehow called upon. Those of the Aboveground can not come here without asking permission either. It was not always like this though." He paused as the wind picked up again, and motioned her to follow it's direction.  
  
"Once, the people of the Underground could go to the Aboveground when ever they wished. They wandered the lands there as freely as they wander the lands here. While we have magic to defend ourselves with and to attack with, those aboveground had technology. In some ways, magic is much greater than the technology of the aboveground, but in most of the important ways, the technology was greater. People don't like what they don't understand, and they began hunting any creature with magic."  
  
Sarah nodded, she had been taught in school how the worst of humanity had hunted anyone who was different then them, the holocaust being among the worst of the atrocities committed simply because some people were different.  
  
"The people of the underground slowly stopped going to the aboveground. It had become dangerous for anyone to travel there. But that was not enough for the people of the Aboveground, if they knew the ways, could find their way to the underground. When they couldn't find the magical creatures they sought roaming freely there, they began hunting for the way here to kill the so called dangerous creatures where they lived. This could not be allowed, so the two worlds were separated."  
  
They stopped again waiting to determine the path of the breeze they were following. Sarah took a moment to interpret this information. As they began to walk again she asked, "I understand all that, but what does that have to do with this guy wanting to control the Labyrinth?"  
  
"The labyrinth is the center of the Underground. Any who wish to go from here to the Aboveground must pass through here, and any wishing to come from the Aboveground must pass through here."  
  
"That part I remember well enough."  
  
He gave her a light smile. "Yes, you have been through this part of the story before. Thanier believes that he has found a way to separate the two worlds once more, but he can not do anything unless he controls this pathway between the two worlds."  
  
"Why would he want to link them back together again? If he can travel there at will, then he must have seen how technology has advanced, how the populations have increased. Wouldn't that just put your people in more danger?"  
  
"Not according to him," Jareth frowned. "He believes that the Underground could go to the Aboveground and get revenge and reap the bounties of the Aboveground. He says that because of the general disbelief that has been carefully cultured in the Aboveground, they would be unprepared for an attack of magic from the Underground."  
  
Sarah frowned. "That's partially true. People don't believe in magic anymore. But they do adapt to strange things quickly, especially when they are under attack."  
  
"I know. That is why it is most important that he not be allowed control of the lands. It would be a slaughter." He stopped, spotting the edge of the woods. "There. The way out of the woods, if your...friend...was being truthful, then that should be the valley there."  
  
Sarah sighed. "Look, Jareth. You are in major need of a chill pill. Boto was risking his neck to help us. Chances are, we're going to need help from others, and if you keep giving them this attitude, none of them are going to want to so much as say "bless you" if you sneeze, let alone put themselves in danger for you."  
  
Jareth glared at her. "How dare you tell me how I should talk about my subjects? Granted you're friend, Boto, may have seemed nice and jolly to you, but I can tell you more about him then what you know. The only reason he rescued you was in the hopes that he could take advantage of you. It is what he does, he lives only to play and he likes pretty young women like yourself to dally with. And when he is bored with you, he'll walk away to find something...or someone...else that can entertain him for a time. If he found you interesting enough, he would have said anything to stay in your good graces."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Well, thank you captain obvious. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have figured that one out on my own. He rescued me so that I could be his escort at some shindig that Thanier was planning on holding when you failed, said he wanted a dance. I said he could have one, after he helped us get to the center."  
  
"And how is that supposed to work, if we get to the center, then there won't be any celebration for him to attend. I don't think even a creature with as small a mind as his can be that daft." He stalked away from her, heading past the line of trees.  
  
"Yeah, well.....um....that's why I told him that if he helped us, that there'd be a victory celebration then and he could come then." she followed behind him stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jeans.  
  
"You told him that we would have a celebration after we made it to the center?" Calm and carefully controlled, his voice gave away non of the incredulousness of the situation. Sarah always did have a way of simply taking over when she came to the Underground.  
  
"Had to tell him something. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to find where you had wound up, or find a way out of the tunnels. We'd probably both still be wandering around down there. And why not through a celebration? Right now, everyone is so tense with fear, it'll be good to let them relax for a night before you go back to terrifying them again." She gave him a dazzling smile before setting to looking about the valley.  
  
The night was nearing it's end and the moon hung low over the hills across the valley. Dark shadows filled the valley floor making it difficult to see if there was anything dangerous awaiting them there.  
  
"Do you really think me to be that much of a villain, Sarah?" There was a strange note to his voice, somewhat curious, and also a little sad.  
  
"You haven't exactly given me reason to think otherwise." She folded her arms defensively around her and changed the subject. "I can't tell what's down there, guess the only way to find out will be to go down there.  
  
Jareth studied her for a few moments longer. Without a word, he shook his head and started to descend into the valley. 


	10. chapter10

Yes, this is a bit of a short chapter. I've been having problems with my muse. He decided to run off with a cabana boy in the middle of writing this and only recently returned. Hopefully he will be more cooperative with me now that he's had a vacation.  
  
Again, I thank everyone for their support. It really means a hell of a lot to know that people are enjoying this. Hopefully, the next update won't take so long.  
  
A grey fog arose as they descended into the valley. It swirled about them as they walked, growing higher the further they went. Once it fully wrapped around them, Jareth stopped. Sarah stood a few paces away from him, yet he could only barely make out her silhouette in the mist. Reaching out he took her hand in his. "This fog will try to separate us, best to stay close."  
  
Sarah clasped his leather encased hand tightly. "How are we going to find where we're going?" she asked.  
  
"We will head in the direction of the far side of the valley. Once we reach the other side and start climbing out, we should be able to climb out of this mist." He gave her hand a little tug, leading her carefully forward. He picked their path carefully, not wanting either of them to trip over an unseen obstacle.  
  
A loud screeching roar sounded behind them in the mist. Jareth stopped and pulled Sarah closer to him. Another screeching answered the first, this on to the left. "Stay close to me." His voice was a harsh whisper, he didn't want to make any more noise than needed. He was unsure of what might be lurking in the fog or how dangerous it would turn out to be.  
  
Sarah nodded and moved herself closer to him. Moving more slowly than before, they picked their way forward, neither speaking. Sarah strained her ears to hear sounds of them being hunted, but heard nothing. The fog thickened further, preventing her from being able to see herself in the thick blanket.  
  
The two had only a second's warning before they were attacked. From a few paces away came the screeching roar. Something large crashed into Sarah, knocking her away from Jareth. She landed on her back, the weight of the creature pinning her shoulders to the ground. She could not make out the form of the animal, but felt it's hot breath on her face as it leaned forward. It sniffed her once, twice, then leapt away from her as fast as it had attacked.  
  
The second beast crashed into Jareth moments after the first knocked Sarah back. He rolled with the impact, lifting his feet to the creatures stomach. As he landed on the ground, he pushed against it, throwing it up and off of him. He heard the second creature heading for him and rolled to the side at the last moment to avoid it trampling over him.  
  
Now he had two of these creatures after him. Looking for them in this mist was useless so he closed his eyes and let his other senses take over. He could almost feel them moving. He thought they were circling around him like sharks. He knew he could keep them from hurting him, but he worried about Sarah. She did not have the heightened sensitivities that the fae had. She would be lost in this mist. "Sarah, are you all right?"  
  
Momentarily distracted by his own actions, he almost moved aside to late as one of the hidden creatures darted forward and slashed at him with a set of sharp claws.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine, where are..." she was cut off by his muttered curses. "Jareth, are you all right?" She tried to move forward to where she thought he was.  
  
"Yes. But stay where you are, don't move and I'll find you." He dodged aside as the creature darted forward again clearly missing him this time.  
  
He did not want to hurt any of the beings that might be native to the labyrinth. They were the very people he was trying to protect by undertaking this task, weather they understood this or not. The only thing he could think of to do was to risk using his magic. He thought that if he managed to push away the fog, these animals would leave with it.  
  
He called upon his magic. He felt the familiar rush through his blood as his own inherent magic met with the magic of the labyrinth that swelled up through him. The Labyrinth was a living creature in it's own way, minimally aware of what occurred in and around it. He was it's protector though, and the labyrinth trusted him as a child trusts it's parents. Without any real words, using the base connection he had to this living entity, he soothed its concerns, leading it to help protect him and thus to help protect itself.  
  
The reaction was not as fast as he had come to expect, but still quick enough. To his eyes, the mist once more started to grow thin. He was able to make out shapes once more, and the creatures that attacked he and Sarah were no longer a danger. They were not to be seen, or sensed, anywhere around. As the fog continued to clear, he began to look around for Sarah. When the light of the moon became clear again he stared at it for a moment cursing.  
  
He had tried to communicate to the labyrinth that he needed it's assistance in order to continue his quest which would protect it from harm. He had made it understood that the creatures hiding in the mist were the danger, and that he thought that they would stay with the mist, and if the mist were not around him, then neither would the creatures. He would be safe.  
  
The effect that happened was not the effect he had intended. Rather than moving the mist away and letting him continue his journey, the Labyrinth had obviously seen fit to assist him. It had moved him closer to his goal and he stood on the far side of the valley, closer to the castle than to the woods. And Sarah was not around.  
  
He tried to go back into the valley to find Sarah and the ground beneath him rolled threatening to knock him off his feet. The labyrinth thought it was more important for him to go forward, he wouldn't be allowed to go back.  
  
"SARAH!" he tried calling down into the valley. "SARAH, CAN YOU HEAR ME?"  
  
There was no response to his calls. He didn't want to leave her there, but time was growing short, he had to find his way to the castle. Once this was over, he could find her simple enough. He just had to make it to the castle.  
  
"I told you we would meet again soon, Sarah."  
  
The mist around Sarah thinned as Thanier stepped forward, the hood of his cloak pushed back. He had long dark hair tied back into a tail with a leather cord. His eyes were a bright icy blue as they looked her over, they reminded her of the predatory stare of a white tiger she had seen in a zoo once.  
  
He walked forward to stand in front of her. He was much taller than she, forcing her to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "What do you want?"  
  
"Just wanted to see how you were enjoying the tour you were getting of your new home. Are you enjoying it here, Sarah?"  
  
She folded her arms and glared at him. "Jareth is going to make it to the center and defeat you. You won't be able to keep me here."  
  
He grinned down at her and for a moment he almost resembled a hawk. "I wasn't planning on keeping you here. But When you agreed to come here to help Jareth, you never made any provisions for returning."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You set your demands if you were to help, did you mention returning home as one of them?"  
  
Sarah thought. She didn't think she had specifically said anything about what would happen to her after they got to the center. "No, but I'm sure.."  
  
He laughed, interrupting her. "You're sure that Jareth would just send you back? Did you forget that you defeated him before? That must have been a blow to his pride. Not to mention the fact that he's always wanted you. He said so himself the last time you were here, all he wanted was for you to be his slave." He circled around her, placing his hands on her shoulder. He leaned forward, his voice low in her ear. "Do you think he would give you up now that he has you in his grasp? You take too much for granted, little girl."  
  
Sarah slapped his hands away. "You're wrong. Jareth wouldn't keep me here against my will."  
  
"Wouldn't he? He takes mortals and he keeps them here all the time. That's what his job is, he's been doing it for over two hundred years."  
  
Sarah frowned. Logic said that he was just saying this to make her give up helping Jareth, but she couldn't help but feeling a small seed of doubt starting to grow.  
  
"Sarah, Jareth hates to lose. He's already lost to you, and he's never fully accepted this. He's always wanted to get even for that." His voice was sincere as he circled around to face her. He rested one hand on her shoulder, his other cupping her chin and tilting her head to look up at him. "He's going to keep you here Sarah, keep you here and make you pay for the injuries to his pride that you cost him. "  
  
He let go of her chin, waving his hand over to his side where the mist had formed a rectangular door. Through the frame, she could see her apartment. The tidy living room with the shelves filled with small figurines. Sprawled out on the couch as if he owned it was her cat, blissfully unaware of his mistress looking in on him.  
  
"You've helped him this far, Sarah. Now you need to let him do it himself. There's the way back home for you. You can take it now, go home, and leave Jareth to deal with his quest on his own."  
  
Sarah stood staring at her home. It would be easy to simply walk away. She was tired, and she knew that she could go have a cup of tea, and curl up in bed for a good night's sleep. In the morning when she woke up, this would all seem like a dream to her.  
  
Except that Jareth may no longer be King of the Labyrinth. Her friends may be punished for helping him and helping her. And Thanier may have decided to get rid of the boundary lines between the Underground and the Aboveground. He would destroy this place and all the creatures that lived in it. Would she be able to live with herself if she did that. She didn't think she would.  
  
"Thank you, for you most.....generous....offer," she gave him a warm smile. "But I think I'll stay for a bit longer. I've dealt with Jareth before, I can do it again. Just like I've beat the Labyrinth before, and I can do it again too."  
  
The look he gave her was anything but warm. "Sarah, I have gone easy on you so far, if you stay here I will not continue to be so kind." His voice chilled the air between them. "Go. Home."  
  
She shook her head. "No, I will not leave."  
  
His eyes raged. "You are clueless! Perhaps, if I show you what lies in store for you should you stay, you would see the logic in leaving."  
  
He took two quick steps towards her. She started to back away to be stopped as his hand grabbed her arm. He reached up and touched her forehead with his other hand, he murmured something that she couldn't understand. The world around her seemed to spiral downward, darkness seeping in at the edges till it filled her vision.  
  
Thanier slipped his arm around her waist as consciousness left her. She was quite lovely, not quite his taste, but Jareth favored her and that would make her a wonderful bait for his trap. And when she woke up from the dreams he would send her, he doubted that she would be quite as loyal to the goblin king. 


	11. chapter11

A/N I know I said before that I don't do many of these, and now prove myself wrong again with another author's note. Sorry for the long delays in this. Those who are also writers I'm sure are familiar with the evilness of writer's block. I know where I want things to go, just not quite sure on how I want to get there. Part of my new year's resolutions though is to do more writing, with the hopes that writing more will make those blocks fewer. So with that, here's the next chapter for Help Me Fall

White. Sarah woke up and looked around her and everything was white. She lay on a hard narrow bed with a white sheet pulled over her. She wore a night gown which was white with small blue flowers on it. The walls and ceiling were all unrelieved white. She was most certainly not in the labyrinth any more.

She sat up slowly. The last thing that she remembered, she had been standing, surrounded by fog and……Thanier! He must be behind this, must have sent her here. But where was here?

She got out of bed and headed for the door. She turned the handle and it wouldn't open, it was locked from the outside.

"So I'm in some sort of cell? Should have known, that bastard." She paced around the small room wondering how long it would be before she heard from him.

It wasn't to long before the door open and to her surprise in walked Jareth. Or at least, she thought it was him. His hair was cut short and tamed and his eyes looked more normal, without the fey sparkle that she had grown accustomed to.

He smiled at her and pulled a wheelchair into the room behind him. "Well hello sleeping beauty." His voice was void of his normal arrogance and that slight lilting that always reminded her of a british accent. "I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to wake up. Sleep well?"

"Jareth?" her voice was heavy with sleep. "What happened to you? Why are you so….so….different?"

"Dear Sarah," he sighed and shook his head. "Come on. Have a seat and we'll take you to see Doctor Thanier."

"Doctor Thanier? _Doctor?_ What the hell is happening here. Why aren't we in the labyrinth, what has that bastard done?"

Jareth crouched at on top of a hill looking over what had once the been the bog of stench. The Bog, while vile smelling, had been passable. There had once been a bridge across it, guarded by Sir Didymus. While he hadn't been very big, he had made up for it with enthusiasm and managed to prevent most people from crossing. Sarah had been the exception to that, she had managed to befriend the small fox, taking him with her on her trip through his maze. He wondered again where she was, hoped that she was safe.

He shook his mind clear of those thought. Worrying about her now would only be a distraction, and right now he needed to focus on what he was doing.

Below him now, in place of the Bog of Stench, was a wide trench filled with squirming masses of insect. From what he could see, the insects looked almost like the Aboveground scorpions. They had long, razor like claws and a silvery tail that ended in a long needle stinger. He had needed to get close to the pit to see the nature of the creatures inside, from this distance he could only see a mass of moving shadows.

"Now how am I to cross that." He wondered out loud.

"Can't see why you would want to, but I'd suggest walking."

Jareth spun quickly, rising to his full height expecting to confront Thanier. No one was there. "Who said that?"

"I did. 'Ello yer majesty, down here."

Jareth looked around and spotted a small blue and yellow worm on a rock near where he had been crouching. "Did you just say hello?"

"No, I said 'ello, but that's close enough."

Jareth shook his head. This seemed to be the first non threatening creature that he had come across since entering the labyrinth. "Well, thank you for your observation, but I don't think walking through that gorge would be very safe."

"Oh no, wouldn't be safe t'all." The small worm agreed.

"Then why would you advise me to walk through it?" the king arched an inquisitive eyebrow at the small creature.

"I said no such thing. I know, why don't you come back with me, on me way home to the missus and a nice cup of tea."

"You mean to tell me you did not suggest that you did not suggest I should walk through it?"

"Oh no, not through it, you should never go through it, much to dangerous."

Jareth gave him a puzzled look and dropped back down to a crouch to be more on level with this small creature. "Tell me what you know of that pit," he commanded.

At the raised blue eyebrows of the little worm creature, Jareth remembered Sarah's words. "Please, I need to get over to the other side , can you help me?"

"oh, alrigh, but don't say I didn't warn ya. It's bad on the other side. But if you want to get across, there is a bridge."

Jareth looked over his shoulder, searching up and down the length of the ravine for a bridge across.

"Oh you can't see it," the worm told him. "but it's there. Be careful, it's not a straight patch, it twists and turns."

"If I can't see it, how do am I supposed to use it"

The worm tilted his head quizzically at the goblin king. "If you can't see with your eyes, try seeing with your hands. You can find the start of the path over there," He indicated a way off to the left, "you'll see three rocks in a row right on the edge, go between the ones on the right"

Jareth stood, anxious to be on his way. He took two steps and stopped, turning around to the worm once more. "Thank you for your help."

Sarah had finally been convinced to sit in the wheelchair and let Jareth take her down the hall. She had to figure out what was going on so she could get out of here and back to the labyrinth.

She was taken to a richly decorated office. Paintings by Dahli and Monet hung on the walls with lighting carefully placed to best illuminate each work of art without shinning directly on it.

Sitting behind a large polished oak desk was Thanier. The brass name plate on the desk bore the name Richard Thanier, Head of Psychiatric Services. The long dark hair seemed to make his simple white doctor's coat seem even brighter somehow. He smiled at her, although she noted that the smile did nothing to warm his icy eyes.

"Ah, good morning Sarah, and how are we feeling this morning?" His arrogance and condescending manner made her want to smack him.

" Thanier, what the hell are you trying to pull, I demand you send me back this instant!" She folded her arms across her chest and glared up at him from her seat in the wheelchair.

Thanier looked amused for a moment and then took his gaze from her. "So Jared, it seems that I am still the villain, does this mean that you're still the unwilling hero?"

Jareth locked the breaks on the wheelchair. " So it would seem." He did not look over at Thanier, instead he concentrated on helping Sarah to her feet.

Sarah pushed his hand away. "This isn't real. You're playing with my mind. Well, it's not going to work."

"Now Sarah, please don't be stubborn. We've gone over this before."

Thanier snorted. "I wouldn't waste your breath, Jared. She'll just forget everything you tell her next week anyway."

"She was doing a lot better until you came along." Jareth shot back.

Sarah closed her eyes and tried to will her mind to wake up. This was just a dream, like when she ate the peach, and if she only realized it, it would go away. When she opened her eyes though, she was still sitting in that office with two men arguing over her. The longer she sat there listening to them argue the more real this started to seem.

In her first trip to the Labyrinth, Jareth had tripped her into a dream with a poisoned peach. Then she had found herself in a decadent masquerade ball wearing a luxurious silver dress and playing cat and mouse with the goblin king. Looking back, the entire thing had seemed rather hazy at the edges. Shapes and faces were blurred when looked at through the corner of the eye and in sharp focus when looked at directly.

This place seemed…normal, even a little familiar. The familiar feeling scared her but she wouldn't admit it, not even to herself.

"You do remember that her father will be here this evening to check on her progress. And I'm sure you also remember what he said last time. If he doesn't see progress, you will no longer be in charge of her care. Personally, I can't say that will be a bad thing."

Jareth glared at him. "Then you'll be sadly disappointed I suspect. Now do you mind?" He gestured to the door.

Thanier smiled at Sarah, patting her on the shoulder as he walked past her to the door.

Once the door closed behind him, Jareth took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet. "Don't worry Sarah, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that you don't wind up in his care. "

Sarah allowed herself to be pulled to her feet then pulled her hand away. "That's not going to happen because this isn't real." She assured him.

He gave her a look of mixed sadness and frustration. "Sarah, do you remember anything about the time you've spent here? About what we've talked about before?"

"Look, Jareth…"

"Jared. Not Jareth."

"Whatever, I know what Thanier's up to." She paused and looked around the room. "Can probably even hear me now, so listen up asshole. This has been done once before, and it's not going to work. Hell, at least last time it was a place I wanted to stay. Why the hell would I want to stay here?"

"Well at least we agree on that much." Jared said. "But you can't leave here Sarah until you face what really happened and stop living in this fantasy you've created. Now, why don't you tell me what happened? Last week you were making such improvement. What sent you back into the labyrinth?"

He motioned for her to have a seat in a big overstuff chair. She stared at the chair for a moment. It was the same one that she had in her living room. "This is my chair." She stated.

"Yes, that's your favorite place to sit when we talk."

"No, I mean this is my chair, this is the chair that is in my apartment."

"Sarah, you don't have an apartment."

She folded her arms and looked at him as she took a seat in the chair.

Jared sighed. "Sarah, look. I know that this is hard for you, but please, you have to try to remember what happened the night you came here. Can you do that?"

She smirked at him. " What happened the night I came here? You, Jareth, came to my apartment and asked me to help you because Thanier was trying to take over the labyrinth and you had to get through it."

"And what do you remember of the night we first met? Can you tell me that?" His voice was supposed to be calm and comforting, but somehow it managed to irritate her more.

"Yes, I remember the night we met, and yes I could tell you that. But I'm not going to lest it's some how a design for Thanier to try to get something to use against you. I'm not going to help that madman."

He laughed a little. "Why don't you tell me just a little bit, see if you remember what we had been talking about before Thanier came?"

"We hadn't been talking before Thanier came. We haven't talked or seen each other since I last left the Labyrinth."

"Sarah? Do you remember where we met?"

She didn't see how Thanier could gain anything with the answer to this question. "In my parent's bedroom."

He shook his head. "No, Sarah. I know that's where you think we met, but we didn't. We met later, in the hospital. Try to remember."

Memories whispered to her, trying to bring to mind events that she was sure never happened. She tried to ignore them, this wasn't real, this was just a trick by Thanier.

Jared wouldn't let her simply ignore these memories though. In her mind, she felt as if a wall had broken and images and thoughts flooded in.

She was sixteen years old again and in the park. She wore he mother's white dress and a wreath of dried flowers in her hair. Hidden in her sleeve was the red leather book of the Labyrinth. She had read the book until it was nearly ready to fall apart. She played the part of the young heroine, nearly at the end of her quest to rescue a baby stolen by the wicked Goblin King.

Chimes in the air, the town clock tower was ringing seven o'clock. She has lost track of time in the park again and would be in trouble when she got home. She raced through the streets as the skies opened and rain began to pour down. As she pushed through the gate into her front yard, there was her stepmother standing in the door way giving her a disapproving look. As she suspected she was in trouble for being late.

She had promised to baby-sit while her father and stepmother went out. Watching over her baby brother, Toby. As she thought of Toby, a deep sadness filled her. So young, so helpless. She hadn't been able to get there in time to save him.

She shook her head trying to clear the thoughts out to no avail. A fire, it had started in her parents bedroom. Toby had been crying and she had tried to make him go to sleep. Frustrated, she had picked him up out of the crib and began telling him the story of the Labyrinth. Not even a year old, he was not interested in hearing stories, he continued to cry. She put him back into his crib, hoping that he would just cry himself to sleep.

She had left the room, flicking the light switch off as she entered the hallway. She went to her room and sat in front of her vanity mirror playing with make-up and costumes and Toby's crying had gotten louder. Then the first tendrils of smoke had started to drift in over the top of her door. She flung open the door and it was filled with smoke, she tried to get to her parents bedroom where Toby was still crying, but the heat in the hall way forced her back.

She had awakened in the hospital. A fireman had brought her out of the house, unconscious from smoke inhalation. She had never gotten Toby out of his crib.

She remembered being released from the hospital and going to stay at her grandmother's house. Her stepmother has been there and accusing her of setting the fire to get rid of Toby. They fought, slapping and clawing and biting at each other until her father had pulled her off Karen and sent her upstairs to the room she was using until the damage to their house was repaired. She had been overwhelmed with guilt and grief and had done something she had thought herself incapable. She had tried to kill herself. It hadn't worked though, her father found her, mostly unconscious, and called an ambulance.

It was there that she had met Doctor Jared King. And there that she had created in her mind an escape from the grief and the pain. An escape from reality.

Now sitting here talking with Jareth….no, Jared, it was all coming back to her. They had been working together to get her to come back to reality, until Thanier had been appointed head of psychiatric services and was planning on firing Jared. Seeing the one person that she had grown to trust was about to become lost to her, she had retreated back into her fantasy world. Thanier had become the bad guy, and Jared had taken on the role once more of the Goblin king. Instead of trying to take her baby brother from her, now he was asking for her help.

The more she tried not to remember the faster the images spun in her mind. She tried to hold onto the idea that this was a trick by Thanier, this wasn't real, the Labyrinth was real. The Labyrinth with it's moving walls, it's playful fairies, and a grumpy dwarf easily distracted by plastic charm bracelets.

She wondered if she just might be crazy after all.

She spent most of the day in that office, talking with Jared. When evening came, Thanier came back to find her sitting quietly with her hands folded in her lap. She was taken to where her father was waiting for her.

Her stepmother was not there and she commented on this fact. "So I take it that Karen still refuses to have anything to do with me?"

Her father blinked then gave her a small nod. "Yes, I don't think she'll ever move past what happened. Do you remember what happened?"

Sarah shrugged. "A little. I know that what I thought happened didn't, and I remember some things about the fire, but that's it."

He simply nodded again. "You have made a big improvement. Any thoughts on when you might like to come home?"

She shook her head. "daddy, please don't rush me, I'm getting better, but…..but I think I still have a little ways to go yet before I'm ready to deal with being home again."

She spent a little while longer talking uncomfortably with her father, and then Jared was there again to take her back to her room.

By the time she went to sleep, she was emotionally and mentally exhausted. In her dreams, she could still hear Toby crying as fire filled her dreams.


End file.
